Lake

Wu Guanzhong has made 'marrying the East and West' his lifelong commitment. Inspired by the regional individuality unique to China, Wu portrays the riverside country of the south, where he calls home, with near-abstract, clean lines rooted in Chinese ink art's poetic lyricism.

In this piece, Lake, Wu Guanzhong acknowledges the spirit of traditional Chinese ink art with his signature brush application. He portrays the reflection of trees in the water with broad, dark pastels. The colours transition from dark to light under his bold and textured strokes, and abrupt forceful dots, to affect the rippling lights on the lake surface, caressed by a gentle breeze. Wu also employs traditional Chinese ink art brushwork to quickly and powerfully outline branches of various thicknesses, adding strength to the soft, glistening lake surface.

The grey-black reflections are interspersed amongst green twigs and the white gaggle of geese, giving the lake sparkles of life. Wu also portrays a waterway that extends and vanishes afar with elegant, greyish-white paint to stretch viewer's visual imagination. It gives the painting a poetic finish to illustrate the enchanting interplay of dark and light.