Sanyu was one of the first generation of outstanding Chinese artists going to France to study and pursue a career as a painter. His elegant yet unrestrained style made him particularly stand out among his many talented peers. His works were shown in numerous important salon exhibitions in France, and he was counted as one of the Ecole de Paris ("School of Paris"). In 1932, Sanyu's name even appeared in the third volume of preeminent arts publisher Art et Editions' "Dictionnaire biographique des artistes contemporains 1910-1930". In a time and age when racial prejudice was still very widespread, it was no small feat for a Chinese painter to make it into a biographical encyclopedia of internationally acclaimed artists-Sanyu was in fact the first Chinese artist to be thus honored, and this was certainly no accident.
Many other Eastern artists who came to France with the first wave of foreign students described Sanyu as already having the air and reputation of a great master, even in his early years. But at the same time, his rather reckless and dissolute character, and his unwillingness to break his back to do something as "trivial" as earning his daily bread, meant that in the end he died a poor man in a foreign country. Wu Guanzhong, one of the doyens of modern Chinese painting, met Sanyu once in Paris. He has words of high praise for his fellow painter, calling him a "true artist," and rating him much higher than, say, Pan Yu-liang or Xu Beihong. Wu on Sanyu, "His paintings are quite good, really. They have style, and they have character. I'd say that among all the Chinese oil painters who developed their career in the West, Sanyu deserves the place of honor." In Wu's opinion, Sanyu's brushwork is similar to the traditional Chinese "freehand" style, but his sense of shape and color, and the general structure of his compositions, are largely rooted in modern Western concepts.
Today, there is no doubt that Sanyu is one of the most distinguished members of the first generation of modern Chinese-origin oil painters. The aesthetic appeal of his work surpasses the boundaries of time and space, and to this day his paintings remain among the favorite objects of many collectors' desire. Incidentally, Sanyu's aesthetics are clearly indebted to the Chinese cultural tradition, even though most of his output has been in Western genres and formats, in particular oil painting, watercolor, sketch/ drawings and prints. Born in Nanchong in Sichuan Province, China, he was first instructed in calligraphy and painting by his father, Chang Shu-fang. At about the age of 12, Sanyu began to display his extraordinary talent, much influenced and inspired by his father's work. Chang Shu-fang had quite a reputation for his exquisite animal painting, especially his depictions of lions and horses. Possibly as a result of this, and a subtle form of paying respect to his father, landscape compositions featuring horses as the dominant theme run through Sanyu's entire oeuvre. The seeds of traditional Eastern art would continue to sprout and bear fruit throughout his whole life, even though he spent most of it as a stranger in strange lands. Although he roamed in the Western world, the basics of his art are unmistakably pervaded by a Zen-like rhythm, an almost mystical vibrancy that shows in his lines, brushwork, compositional and spatial arrangements, as well as his use of color. Though he chose to make Europe his permanent abode, the core of his work is yet brimming with the essence of Chinese culture.
When he was still a young man, his father arranged for Sanyu to study calligraphy under the famous Sichuan master Zhao Xi (1877- 1938). Zhao Xi's poetry, calligraphy, and painting (the three of which were considered to be an integral unit in classical Chinese art) enjoyed wide renown across the country, and some of his art (mostly calligraphy) is preserved in the temples, steles, and other historical relics of Sichuan Province. Under the tutelage of this master, the foundations of Sanyu's aesthetical education were laid, with a strong emphasis on grace, elegance and beauty. With the blessing and encouragement of his father, Sanyu embarked on his journey as an aspiring artist. Moving to Shanghai, he received much visual stimulation from the folk art designs of the advertising billboards, posters, and calendars one could encounter everywhere in the big city. Another influence on Sanyu were the flower painting styles of the Shanghai and Jinshi schools, and the artist in particular absorbed the classical tradition of artists like Shi Tao (1642-1718) and Chu Ta (1626-1705) and incorporated them in his own stylistic repertoire.
Between 1918 and 1919, Sanyu visited his second brother in Tokyo, where he spend more than a year and managed to have some of his calligraphy published in Japanese art magazines - an indication that at this point in his career, he had already reached a considerable degree of skill and maturity in the traditional Chinese genres. While not many of Sanyu's calligraphic works are extant today, one can catch more than a glimpse of his fluid brushwork and assured elegance in his early Paris nude female sketches: his technique is impeccable, his compositions all of a piece, done in one go without later corrections or changes. This near perfection, praised and envied by many of his contemporaries, also became a hallmark of his oil paintings, where he employed the lively yet abstract lines of calligraphy to draw the contours of human bodies, animal shapes, still lifes, and flowers.
Sanyu's preferred motifs were female nudes, lowers and other still lifes, animals, and a small number of landscape paintings. He never tired of these themes, and especially pictures of flowers and plants make up a large portion of his oeuvre. His favorites were the classical subjects of Chinese painting, plum blossoms, bamboo, lotus, and chrysanthemums. Among these, he particularly loved chrysanthemums, and consequently they frequently appear in his flower painting, messengers of a deeply felt nostalgia that is yet never more than hinted at with subtle restraint. In the Chinese tradition, chrysanthemums are symbols of a reclusive life, signifying a hermit or a poet. They stand for a spontaneous, independent spirit that has probably been best captured in Tao Yuanming's famous lines from one of his Wine Poems, "Chrysanthemums I was picking under the east hedge / When the South Range met my tranquil eyes ... The soul of nature was here revealed / Too subtle it was for words." We can be sure that Sanyu shares these sentiments on a very profound level, because he reveals his views on life and genuine beauty through his depictions of lowers, using them as an outlet for metaphorically expressing the sadness and forlornness lurking immediately under the surface of his merry Paris life.
As Wu Guanzhong writes, "Sanyu was a great painter of flower stills and potted plants, and they are always blossoming in the most exquisite shapes and colors, brimming with life. Yet in truth, lowers in a vase are but beautiful blooms on stalks or branches already severed from the true sap of life - lingering on for a short while, but doomed to fade and wither quickly. It is a mournful sight, really, the sadness only enhanced by the sheer splendour of the subject. The overwhelming visual density is but the result of cutting and arrangement, an effect produced by squeezing thick clusters of lowers into too small a vase or pot, thus losing all sense of natural proportions. When this happens, some have plaintively observed, one forces these delicate plants to subsist on a little water or a few crumbs of soil, cutting them off from the generous nourishment of Mother Earth. Why would Sanyu be so sensitive to these truths? Why, his compassion and sympathy clearly derive from the fact that he was in a similar situation himself! I think he was a 'potted plant,' a 'lower in a vase,' too, a bonsai from the East transplanted to the huge garden that is Paris." (From Wu Guanzhong, 'About Sanyu'.) Scholar-painter and writer Chiang Hsun expressed a similar impression when he said that "Sanyu's life was like the flowers he painted." Looking at the lowers and their graceful yet lonely poise, we can get some idea of what the artist's inner life must have been like.
If life is indeed like a flower, then Sanyu's career was one of the most brilliant blossoms you are likely to find. In 1928, when he was 27 years old and had already spent seven years in the City of Light, He decided that he wanted to stay here and continue to enjoy the free Bohemian lifestyle. He married Marcelle Charlotte Guyot de la Hardrouyère (born 1904), whom he had first met at the Académie de Grande Chaumière and been seeing for three years. Their marriage lasted only three years, yet they spent some happy times together. When reminiscing on their relationship more than 60 years later, Marcelle wrote about their rich spiritual and intellectual lives, "We were always with friends, and we were never bored. There were always nice things to see." She also said, "I miss Sanyu." (Rita Wong, 'Chronology,' Sanyu: Catalogue Raisonné Oil Painting)
In 1929, Sanyu made the acquaintance of renowned art dealer and collector Henri-Pierre Roché, who was also a respected journalist and novelist. In his capacity as a connoisseur and patron of the arts, Roché had previously helped to discover the likes of Marie Laurencin, Georges Braque, Constantin Brancusi, Marcel Duchamp, and Ebihara Kinosuke. He was immediately enamored of Sanyu's work, and although their cooperation was comparatively short-lived, there can be no doubt that Roché saw great potential in his latest protégé. He bought a number of Sanyu's paintings for his own collection, treasuring them all his life. In economic terms, the late twenties were hard times, and Sanyu was fortunate in finding a sponsor who could give him an opportunity to make a name for himself in the art market. This lot, "Chrysanthemums with Green Leaves", is one of the paintings that formerly belonged to the Henri-Pierre Roché collection.
"Chrysanthemums with Green Leaves" is dated by the artist ("1929" in the painting's bottom right corner) and belongs to Sanyu's earliest batch of flower stills. In fact, records show that the artist only began to try his hand at canvas painting in that same year - whereas he previously had focused primarily on pencil and charcoal sketches of persons, Chinese ink-and-wash paintings, and sometimes watercolors. Since the early twenties, Sanyu was considered to be a member of the École de Paris, and his work was regularly displayed at various salon exhibitions. Sanyu was a free spirit who mingled effortlessly, and struck up many friendships with the artists and intellectuals he met in the numerous cafés and bistros of Paris. A romantic at heart, he was never one to let his creative urges be stifled by formalism or conventions. Yet while he gave free rein to his artistic impulses and predilections, he also observed the styles and techniques of other artists, and incorporated anything that he found useful or appealing into his own approach. The 1920s are known as the "Roaring Twenties" (or, in France, "les années folles"), but the exhilarating wildness and bohemian decadence of the era were tempered by the spirit of Greek classicism and humanism, which pervaded everything and exerted a subtle influence on some of Sanyu's work. Examples of this can be seen in decorative patterns the artist sometimes employs, or his penchant for two-dimensional compositions.
Generally, Sanyu's oeuvre shows a marked tendency towards simplicity and conciseness. He usually limits his palette to relatively few colors. Around 1930, his oil paintings exhibit an affinity for shades of white and pink, with the occasional dash of black, a combination often regarded as a typically Parisian "romantic style." For all the much-praised terseness of his approach, Sanyu's paintings are not devoid of grandeur and elegance. Quite the contrary! Flippancy is not Sanyu's style, and his flamboyance is never carried to gaudy extremes. Coming from a distinguished and wealthy family, he had something of a playboy about him, and he certainly knew how to have a good time. But there was another side to this bon vivant: deep down inside, Sanyu was a devoted artist, and in the final consequence, he was not overly concerned with fame and riches. "Chrysanthemums with Green Leaves" is a representative piece from the artist's late twenties to early thirties period. The background is mostly kept in pastel whites, with hints of blue intimating space and depth. The chrysanthemums, executed with particular care, are brimming with an understated beauty that is both refined and down-to-earth: an impression that is further enhanced by the lush green leaves and stalks, standing out particularly vividly against the white backdrop and the pink-and-white blossoms. As a whole, this lot is overflowing with a sense of serene happiness blended with inspirational vigor, as epitomized by the pastel chrysanthemums reaching right to the top of the painting.
Sanyu's character is clearly mirrored in his flower stills, a unique mixture of aloofness and indulgence, of dynamic individualism and a touch of intellectual pride - all in all, a miniature reflection of his experiences in Paris, a city steeped in artistic and cultural traditions. We should not forget that for a Chinese painter in the early 20th century, it was by no means a small feat to not only survive, but also succeed and prosper in a strange land far away from home. However, Sanyu certainly rose to the challenge, and the splendor of his creative genius was such that even when he was painting "just a few flowers" in gentle pastel hues, the result was a picture sparkling with joie de vivre and brilliant poise.
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