Throughout the 20th Century, Eastern and Western art clashed and stimulated much dialogue between the two. On one hand, modern Western art sought for inspiration in the Eastern paintings in order to achieve a breakthrough in its own development. On the other hand, the idea of westernizing while maintaining the core value of Chinese paintings helped shape the future of Eastern art. After World War I, a group of Chinese students was sent to France through a work-study program. Sanyu was one of the few who continued a rigid study in art. Sanyu was born in Sichuan in 1900, growing up in a time when Chinese and Western art world began to interact and respond to each other. Such opportunity opened paths for him to travel and study in Tokyo, New York, and eventually Paris where he died at the age of 66. He first became acquainted with Western art theories during his time in Tokyo, and it was not until Sanyu moved to Paris when he established a mature style. Brought up in Sichuan, Sanyu was studied calligraphy under Zhao Xi, a knowledgeable scholar and celebrated writer in late Qing Dynasty. Sanyu gained a solid calligraphy foundation during that time, and it was also instrumental for his Western style nude sketch practices later on. After his arrival in Paris in 1921, Sanyu created drawings in the 1920s that can be classified into three distinct categories: outlining the body in pencil before softening the contour with charcoal; outlining the figure in only pencil or ink; outlining in ink first and then adding more ink, watercolour, charcoal and colouring to highlight the texture and a sense of volume.

During his study in Paris, Sanyu was deeply influenced by the School of Paris, Matisse and Fauvism. The softening wash effect seen in most of Sanyu's sketch works came from School of Paris. At the same time, Sanyu learned from Matisse's simplified yet deliberate lines and concise figures, and implemented in his own works. Inspired by Matisse's depiction of hands, Sanyu perceived a much simplified image of a figure's hands and feet, and developed the characteristic "comb-like" forms in his drawings.

Aside from the softening wash effect and influences from Fauvism, Sanyu is deeply rooted in Eastern aesthetics and the poetic traditions of Chinese literati, which gradually formed his own artistic personality. His approach of outlining the figure in pencil before using charcoal to soften the subject not only presents a rich texture but also reflects the traditional Chinese drawings in "fine lines". Sanyu also led a very personal style by depicting the subject from a low angle almost as if looking from the view finder of a panorama camera. World War I brought to Paris a lot of social changes, including people's attitude toward fashion and pleasure. It became popular among female Parisian to shorten their skirts to above the knee. Sanyu captures the fashion and his impression of the society in his works by exaggerating the portion of women's legs and exposing them to the viewer. Xu Zhimo, a famous poet, was once amazed such expressive work and described the legs as "thighs of the universe".

Most of the Sanyu's drawings offered in this sale are nude drawings in the aforementioned three drawing styles. Lady Lying down; & A Couple (Lot 322), Standing Nude with a Chair (Lot 323), Stretching Exercises (Lot 324), Stretching Nude (Lot 325) and Standing Nude (Lot 326) were created in the period when the artist spent extensive amount of time observing and studying the movement of human bodies. A walking penguin is depicted in the upper half of one drawing to imitate the walking gesture of a human being. A man below leans on his back with his arms supporting himself reflects Sanyu's intention to delineate the muscles of the arms when exerting force. The simple depiction of the face shifts the focus to the subjects' body, posture, and muscles. This work is a great example in which one can see Sanyu's approach to outline the body in pencil before softening the contour with charcoal, hence enhancing the richness of the texture.

In Lady Lying down (Lot 320) and Reclining Nude & A Dog (Lot 321), the ink contours depict the posture of the figures with a sense of motion and rhythm. The application of ink and watercolour in well balanced shades indicates one of Sanyu's signature styles. In Woman with Black Silk Stockings (Lot 318) and Lifting up a Leg (Lot 319), Sanyu depicts the lower part of the female model's body from a lower angle, leading the viewer's attention to the details. Such rare composition shows Sanyu's deep influence from traditional Western sketching and drawings. The "thighs of the universe" in sexy looking black stockings with suspenders, together with the model's bright red cheek, are extremely eye-catching.