Wu Guanzhong

signed in Chinese and dated 72 (lower left); signed, dated and titled in Chinese (reverse)
Executed in 1972

Private Asian Collection (Sold: Christie's, Taipei, 1997)

The Art of Wu Guanzhong, Guangxi Art Publishing Society, China, 2002, p.110
The Complete Works of Wu Guanzhong, Volume II, China, 2007, Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, p.186

Overall in satisfactory condition. There are several pierced holes at each corner of the canvas. The colour of the painting is lighter than the catalogue illustration.
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In 1971, when Wu Guanzhong was 52 years-old, he was sent to Hebei's Li village under the supervision of the army for "re-education". The following year, owing to his good behaviour, he was allowed to paint during the holidays. Under these difficult circumstances, he crafted his own implements, and accompanied by a small wooden board, he painted landscapes of numerous villages in Northern China. That same year he was granted a month's leave, when he travelled with his wife to Guilin, Guiyang and Chongqing, among other places. Apart from visiting his mother-in-law who was suffering from ill-health, Wu also seized the opportunity to apply himself to his art. Aspen was completed under these conditions.

The aspen, or poplar, is the most common tree in China's northwest: its bark is grey and it can survive under difficult circumstances, requiring little moisture, sunlight, or even nutrients. With only minimal water, the poplar propagates. Just by planting a tree branch in the ground, roots will grow and branches will bud regardless of poor conditions. Wu selected this topic partly because the poplar is omnipresent, partly because it is self-referential. No matter how difficult the circumstances, people will always find a way out and stand tall. On the canvas, Wu presents a cold, wintry Chinese north, with the poplars around the lake braving the cold winds. White, ashen barks of the trees take precedence over the flowers; dark spots on the tree trunks look like eyes opened wide, quietly communicating with each other in the midst of the calm forest. White ducks gathering on the lake intimate the arrival of spring despite the wintry setting.

Wu Guanzhong once claimed that he "applied his efforts in combining Chinese spirit with the aesthetic interests of the masses in his pursuit of purity and charm, which is akin to the style of Chinese ink painting"  [1]. All of the above are realized here: Wu's love for the land is fully conveyed and the innate beauty in the simplest of objects provides ample room for consideration.

[1]Wu Guanzhong, The Works of Wu Guanzhong, Hebei People's Art Publishing, Beijing, 2008, p.149