Renowned as one of the greatest modern flower-and- bird artists, Yu Chung-lin was commented by Chu Ko as the artist to revive the classical genre of Northern Song. With a life-time dedication towards the genre, Yu Chung- lin landed in an opposite direction of expressive flower- and-bird contemporary trend and chose to create realistic gongbi paintings of the Song dynasty. Yu Chung-lin followed the colour application of the Jing school while incorporating the palette into the Song gongbi realistic works. Following his studies of Ming and Qing scholar paintings and flower-and-bird genre of the Five Dynasties and Southern Song, he chose to follow meticulously with a naturalistic depiction of subjects. Gongbi was used to enhance the realistic effect, forming elegant paintings with a literary touch.
This work was meticulously structured with compositions of pine, cranes and shores
along a river. Colours of turquoise and green are rare to Yu's works. Few cun was used in the foreground, with vivid colours of splashed ink. Layered colours were applied on the rocks with dots of moss and light ink to reveal the texture of rocks. Simple strokes were used to sketch the background followed by light green ink. This shows Yu's application of skills of various schools to bring in harmony gongbi and expressive strokes and to highlight the subject matter in the foreground. Dark pine and white cranes show stark colour contrast. As the crooked pine emerged from the rocks, the branches extended and encroached across the frame, while a young pine sprouted from the back, showing signs of prosperity. The texture of the bark was carefully depicted with a combination of strokes and ochre. Clusters of pine needles echo with the humidity of the scene and the running river below. The moist air of utopia was depicted. Cranes were traditionally deemed as an auspicious symbol with a blessing of prosperity and wealth. This work of the genre completed in meticulously fine strokes and careful application of colours is an astounding piece. The crown of the crane was painted red, enhancing the prosperous message of a utopian scene. The inscription poem speaks of being a nobleman who would excel with upcoming chances and opportunities.
Yu Chung-lin studies ancient paintings with special attention to Song paintings. Cranes representing noble characters were used as a reminder for scholars. This work shows references to masterpieces by Ma Yuan of Song, Qian Xuan and Castiglione of Qing dynasty. In 1976, Zhang Da-qian resided in Taipei in the same building as Yu Chung-lin. Since then, their friendship developed with frequent visits. Zhang was astounded by Yu's ability and often invited him to view his classical collection. In Yu's exhibition in 1978, Zhang visited the venue and viewed the painting closely. This shows Zhang's appreciation towards a great talent. Through his talents, Yu created gongbi flower-and-bird paintings with realistic representations of Nature. This work has been kept in the artist's family collection until now and is an important work of art from the artist's mature stage of career.