PROVENANCE:
Hsiung Shih Gallery, Taipei
Acquired from the above by the present owner’s father in 31686

ILLUSTRATED:
The World of Yu Chengyao , Hsiung Shih Books Publishing, Taipei, 1988, color illustrated
Yu Chengyao , Hsiung Shih Books Publishing, First version 1998, second version 2000, color illustrated, no. 4-40, p. 123

This painting is to be sold with a photocopy of the certificate of
authenticity issued by Hsiung Shih Gallery, Taipei.

MOUNTAIN PEAKS TOWERING INTO THE CLOUDS
YU CHENG-YAO

Yu Cheng-yao, named Shun, courtesy name Cheng-yao. Born in Yongchun County, Fujian Province in 1898 (24th year of the Qing Dynasty Guangxu reign), Yu learned to make woodenwares and lacquerwares at a woodworking shop in his early years. At age 19, he joined the Revolutionary Army and eventually advanced to the rank of lieutenant-general. He retreated to Taiwan with the Nationalist government in 1949, but was unable to bring his family over in time, and thus lived alone in Taipei ever since. He spent half a lifetime in combat and traveled extensively with the military to lofty mountains and deep forests. He retired as lieutenant-general in his prime years. At the age of 56 in 1954, Yu began working on the first painting in his life. Yu’s paintings and calligraphy were one of a kind. He often liked to draft with light ink, which were left to dry before he added layers of textured contours and washes, creating a free and fluid effect in his ink and brush works. He also made use of minute and concentrated brush strokes to express his unique creative vocabulary as well as the ruggedness and spiritual sense of mountains and waters.

Yu Cheng-yao’s painting and calligraphy works are legendary. Not only are they a conspicuous pinnacle in the art history of Taiwan, they are a giant monument that will stand tall for hundreds of generations in the entire Chinese ink wash heritage. Yu began his artistic attempts after the age of 50; having been able to break from the restraints of tradition, Yu often produced concise and powerful form and spirit in his early ink wash works by utilizing simple ink strokes and unique layouts consisting of large chunks. His ink wash landscapes wer e inspired by recollections of the imposing mountains in northwest and southwest China where he had traveled. With his impressive memory, Yu recreated the astounding and breathtaking magnificence of mountains and waters. The strangeness of his mountains and their meticulously powerful contours create a visual effect of order amidst disarray. Such features are precisely how Yu’s works always display a brimming sense of vigor .

“Mountain Peaks Towering into the Clouds” features a stretch of mountains rising in the distance. The peaks stand in close succession like knives and axes in a tightly-spaced row. In the foreground, secluded valleys exude an air of ser enity; hidden streams and waterfalls are dispersed over the space and contrast perfectly with the densely arranged parts of the painting. Light brush strokes outline the draft before irregular texturing strokes form the rugged contours; the layers accumulate into majestic mountain ranges while also embodying inspiring thoughts on life. Overall, the painter was able to utilize a variety of ink strokes to depict a rich, well-designed portrait of magnificent mountains and waters. The robust touches of interesting rock tones leave a particularly strong impression. Yu’s arrangements are never deliberate. To him, “spontaneous brush strokes fall into place , praising that beyond the landscapes and applying depictions to the painting . Abstract? Non-symbolic? Spur of the moment, the significance they bear, these blend and merge into an infinite inner strength that rush to the brush, burst from the fingers, and the face of the painting is entirely transformed.” At times, Yu’s works surprise the viewer with traits of “boneless” ( mogu)techniques within the general air of landscapes, setting them apart from traditional landscapes by his predecessors. “Peach Blossom, Fishing Boat” by Qing Dynasty painter Wang Hui (1632-1717), currently preserved at the National Palace Museum Taiwan, is one such example. The painting depicts peach trees lining the banks of a stream; a dazzling array of petals fall profusely as a fishing boat travels down the stream. The mountains form one layer over another, the trees grow verdant; clouds roll in waves, and waters show the beauty of space. The entir e work is based in shades of gr een; the spread of ink and dashes of gr een create a simple gracefulness and exquisiteness. The meticulous brush strokes construct a clever balance between thickness and sparseness, between motion and stillness. The image is one of bright elegance, like a scene out of Tao Qian’s “Peach Blossom Spring”, 'Following a stream and oblivious to the distance he traveled, he suddenly came upon a grove of blossoming peach trees which lined the banks for several hundred paces.' Like Yu’s work, Wang’s painting fully embodies the charms of natural colors and creates an effect of multiple colors. This coloring technique creates less intense effects than the previously-mentioned skill; instead, it results from the blending of several layers of transparent colors. The painting is softened so that the warm and cool colors complement one another and become one, and the effects of glamour and harmony mutually exist. The hues created in this way are rich and fascinating while exuding an air of warmth and joy. Therefore, the peaks strive for presence as the trees vie for attention and the mountain scene is one of magnificence. Yu Cheng-yao instilled into paintings the most primitive, undisguised first impressions of natural sceneries, and thus revolutionized the structuring principles laid down by his predecessors.

Taiwanese composer Dr. Liang Ming-yue once said, “layering” is a charming feature of Yu’s landscape paintings. Dr. Liang attributes the origins of this feature to the polyphonic ensemble structure of nanguan music. Yu’s paintings are in no way careless or chaotic; polyphonic music possesses a unique beauty. Therefore, Liang maintains that Yu’s landscapes are ever-changing and no two elements are identical . Art historians identify three time periods that Yu’s ink wash works fall into: early, mature, and late periods. Ni Tsai-chin categorized Yu’s developed style into three types : simple, impressive strangeness progressing towards firmness, and profundity while returning towards guileless simplicity. “Mountain Peaks Towering into the Clouds” is one of Yu’s works belonging to the late period. The work exudes an air of comfortable lightness and extraordinary presence . As always, Yu’s combination of exquisite and firm long and short brushstrokes creates a richly-textured pattern of rocks and trees; within the meticulously-composed structure, the artist deliberately conveys the simple and honest str ength of landscapes.

Although he has no formal art training and belongs to no particular school of painting, Yu Cheng-yao adopted nature as his teacher; with his minute and concentrated texturing technique, a unique artistic vocabulary, and extraordinary compositional style, Yu depicted the countless famous mountains and rivers he had come across while traveling across China and Taiwan, creating numerous visually-striking landscape paintings that impress the very hearts of viewers. Yu’s art has yet to be fully discovered in terms of its academic or market value, and this is an area worth the continued efforts of future art critics.