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Lot Essay
Born in Fujian in 1898, Yu Chengyao served in the military until his retirement in 1949 after which he settled in Taiwan. Yu was educated at the Waseda University in Japan and taught at the Whampoa Military Academy from 1923.
Throughout his youth, Yu memorized the magnificent landscapes he saw in China and Taiwan and began to paint them only upon his retirement. His paintings express his appreciation for his motherland, the longing to return, and the reminiscence of a life that passed. Although Yu did not receive formal education in painting, he saw nature as his teacher. He believed that an artist can only capture the real proportion and distances through fully immersing oneself in nature. His dense and unconventional brushworks give life and energy to the landscapes he portrayed. Irrespective of his technique, Yu shows the true essence of the literati by manifesting the connection that the ancients and nature shared.
Throughout his youth, Yu memorized the magnificent landscapes he saw in China and Taiwan and began to paint them only upon his retirement. His paintings express his appreciation for his motherland, the longing to return, and the reminiscence of a life that passed. Although Yu did not receive formal education in painting, he saw nature as his teacher. He believed that an artist can only capture the real proportion and distances through fully immersing oneself in nature. His dense and unconventional brushworks give life and energy to the landscapes he portrayed. Irrespective of his technique, Yu shows the true essence of the literati by manifesting the connection that the ancients and nature shared.