Yu Peng (Taiwanese, 1955-2014), 于彭Longevity
circa 1990

signed and titled in Chinese
ink on paper

34 x 32.3 cm (13 3/8 x 12 11/16 in)

This work was executed circa 1990.注脚Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner

于彭
松鶴延年
水墨紙本
約1990年作

簽名: 松鶴延年于彭寫

來源
現藏家直接得自藝術家

Yu Peng, born in Taipei, was a leading figure of postwar contemporary ink painting who broke through the framework of traditional ink art to create a style all his own. He once said, "My sense of belonging with tradition was born of my constant pursuit of art. When I paint, the difficult choices of past and future become all the more pressing. Gradually, I realized that to follow nature is the most genuine path, and art is genuine. Sincerity is the path to the truth. By being true to the land, true to friends and relatives, true to the surrounding culture, geography and environment, this reveals nature, leading to a beautiful realm."

Yu Peng's magical realms of ink appear at first glance like we have fallen into a wondrous abyss, a dreamlike multifold space. From the inner mind to everyday life, Yu devised an unbreakable connection between man and nature, fusing himself to the mountains and waters, and opening himself to nature. In the meditative world under his brush, every stroke, every spot of ink, weaves together to form a new world of unfathomable depth, a world that resonates with life and the infinite cycles of nature.

Longevity is an earnest and precious work celebrating old age. The pine tree symbolizes steadfast endurance, while the crane is a rare and treasured bird, an auspicious symbol of longevity and purity in Chinese culture. The crane stands elegantly beneath the pines, with the perspective looking up from below, the strange rocks' proportions making them appear as tall as the pine trees, the undying vitality of nature and the marks of time worn away from the stone. The crane becomes a symbol of bathing in the winds of spring, sincerely opening oneself to the teachings bestowed by nature, becoming one with nature.

In Untitled—Children Roaming with Mythical Beast, the child to the right of the painting closes his eyes as he enjoys the beautiful natural scenery, seemingly listening to the calls of birds and insects, and breathing in the clean natural air. Lush vegetation is scattered around the rest of the space, with shadowy branch forms growing endlessly out of spots of ink. The mythical beast rests beneath a tree, relaxed and lethargic in nature's embrace. The child next to the beast gazes off into the distance, clutching a clump of grass in his hand, as if waiting for the beast and his companion. This artwork conveys strolling through the landscape with a light, leisurely pace, and using the senses of hearing, smell and vision to stop in time and receive the baptism of nature's enlightenment.

于彭生於台北，是戰後當代水墨代表人物之一，他突破傳統水墨的框架，再釋義出獨樹一幟的于氏風格。他曾說：「傳統的歸屬感是因為不斷追尋藝術而產生的。當我畫畫時，便迫切的感受到何去何從的難以抉擇，慢慢的我領悟到，與自然而然就是最真實，而藝術即是真，心誠則真現。對土地真，對親朋好友真，對周遭的人文、地理、環境真，即可流露自然，就是一種美好的境界。」

于彭所繪的水墨仙境，在初看的剎那間如掉入奇幻深邃的場景，進入一個夢般的多層空間。于氏從內心到日常生活中落實了人與自然不可切割的關係，自身融入自然山水，心境坦然地與自然連接。在他筆下的內觀世界，在每一筆的點，經過層層交替，墨點形成更深邃無限的新世界，與人生、自然無限循環的奧妙有所呼應。

《松鶴延年》是一件祝壽的誠心珍作。松樹象徵著不朽，鶴則爲稀有珍禽，在中華文化裡代表長壽高潔的吉祥寓意。畫中的鶴鳥文雅的佇立在松樹下，視角從低到高延伸，奇石的比例顯得與松樹一樣高大，大自然不朽的生命力和奇石歷經風雨砥礪的成果，鶴鳥化身為如沐春風的象徵，誠心接受自然給予的教誨，此時此刻和自然融為一體。

《無題 -赤子嘻遊神獸 》畫中右邊的赤子閉目陶醉在自然美景裡，似乎在聆聽蟲鳥鳴叫或吸收大自然純淨的空氣。四周茂盛的樹木坐落各處，點墨無限蔓延出樹蔭的形體。樹下的神獸歇息著，慵懶放鬆在大自然裡。神獸旁的赤子眺望他方，手持著小草，似乎在等待神獸和同伴。此作表現遊走山水時緩慢輕鬆的步調，藉由聽覺、嗅覺和視覺的感受力，在時空停格之間體悟自然洗禮。