ELEGANT ON PAPER, SANYU’S BOHEMIAN SENSUALITY

“The steps we take are too slow to keep up with the times. Our bodies are too fragile. Our lives are too short. And time is like a giant wave that washes the dirt away, layer by layer, to finally reveal the shining layer hidden underneath.” - Sanyu

It was in 1921 that Sanyu first set foot in Paris, during a time when Hemingway’s mighty pen had just began to shake the world, producing a several decade long banquet of lean yet compelling literary works. Sanyu was drawn by the prosperity of Paris, and fully immersed himself into each of the latest artistic trends of the time. As a part of the School of Paris, Sanyu did not enroll in any of the more traditional and esteemed schools of art, but instead preferred the freedom and exuberance of the Académie de la Grande Chaumière.. In comparison to his peers such as Xu Beihong and Lin Fengmian, Sanyu did not have any grand aspirations. Instead, displayed a perplexing interest for little more than his art, and can be said to be the Chinese painter who most took to the leisurely Bohemian lifestyle of Parisians, uninhibited and painting as he pleased. The practice revolving around nude portraying at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. were forbidden back home in China. In addition to the use of pencil in his sketches, he also used charcoal to create a greater sense of volume in his drawings. He also used Chinese ink and brushes for a large number of his nude drawings. The fluidity and varying innuendos of the calligraphic strokes made using Chinese ink and brushes became a signature of his nude drawings.

“The lines he used to occupy the space were also used to convey his sensualities, as the lines within his drawings unfolded, his stubbornness was portrayed nakedly.” - Wu Guanzhong, On Sanyu

His drawings are able to withstand the rigors of time; his drawings are true, moving and full of artistic conception, and are just as sensitive, stubborn, and indifferent to fame and fortune as the artist. The nude lady in the drawing, the cloud-like and flowing lines created using calligraphy techniques are pristine and unaltered, creating a natural blend between Western and Eastern cultures, demonstrating the essence of Sanyu’s art.