Running Stream of Mount Yulong (玉龍山下奔流 Yùlóng shān xià bēnliú)

Description

The Running Stream of Mount Yulong (玉龍山下奔流 Yùlóng shān xià bēnliú) is an ink and colour on paper work by Wu Guanzhong . It portrays a flowing water motif set against the Yulong Mountains area near Lijiang, Yunnan, rendered in Wu’s signature synthesis of traditional Chinese ink painting with modern gesture and color. The composition emphasizes dynamic brushwork and the interplay of negative and positive spaces to evoke a sense of movement and landscape atmosphere around Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The piece is typically presented framed, with two seals from the artist, and is recorded in auction and gallery catalogs with dimensions around 66.5 × 131 cm or similar large formats depending on the specific lot. The imagery aligns with Wu’s Jiangnan 水乡 Jiāngnán Shuǐxiāng waterway motifs while translating them into his streamlined, semi-abstract landscape language.

Artistic and Social Context

Created within  Wu Guànzhōng’s broader exploration of Chinese landscape after mid-20th-century upheavals, The Running Stream of Mount Yulong sits at the intersection of tradition and modernity in Wu’s oeuvre. Wu’s practice often integrates Western-influenced abstraction with Chinese ink techniques, yielding works that emphasize the rhythm of water, the contour of mountains, and the economy of line. The Yulong Mountain subject situates the piece in a region rich with cultural and geographic significance, while Wu’s treatment foregrounds mood, flow, and spatial ambiguity over topographic exactness. The painting reflects Wu’s ongoing interest in nature as a site of resilience, renewal, and visual poetry amid historical change.

Interpretation and Meaning

The work embodies a dialogue between memory and place: the stream’s vitality contrasts with the monumental calm of the mountain forms, suggesting continuity and transformation in both nature and culture. The brushwork often alternates between bold, controlled strokes and softer washes, creating a tactile sense of water’s motion and the landscape’s echoing planes. As with much of Wu’s landscape work, the piece invites contemplative viewing that balances abstraction with perceptual description, celebrating the beauty of natural forms through a modern lens.

Size

Typical listings cite a large format, frequently around 66.5 × 131 cm, framed. Exact dimensions vary by specific lot or edition.