Wu Guanzhong’s fascination with flowers was a strong presence in his artistic creation throughout his life. In 1974, Wu Guanzhong returned to Beijing and resumed his artistic creation; Field Chrysanthemums (Lot 1016), painted in the same year, is a reflection of the artist’s uplifting spirit and environment. The flowers in Wu Guanzhong’s paintings are not only the subject matter of his work, but also a form of the artist’s self portrait. The field chrysanthemums are not flowers grown in a greenhouse, but flowers that blossom in the wilderness. Even faced with the tough environment, they rejuvenite and bloom as soon as Spring arrives. Perhaps Wu drew a similarity between the flower’s tenacious and energetic characteristics and his own passion for art and life, which supported through tough periods of his life.

Field Chrysanthemums is an exemplary work of Wu’s outdoor oil paintings, which is a typical creative method for the artist in the 1970s. During this t.mes , Wu took his painting tools with him as he traveled around China, capturing all the sceneries he saw as he was experiencing them. Rather than reflecting the realistic form of the flowers, the artist focused on capturing the tenacious and thriving spirit of the chrysanthemums; this greatly echoes the approaches and concepts to painting of the European Impressionist masters. En plein air, which means painting outdoors, is a painting process that was widely used among the Impressionist painters, they strived to capture the shape, colors, light and shadows of their subjects in their natural environment. These artists aimed to capture the ‘impression’ of things, instead of their realistic images. Using the simple white and light blue palette, combined with short and quick brushstrokes, Wu Guanzhong was able to capture the lushness of the blossoming flower, emitting a sense of joy, hopefulness and vitality. The color palette and brushwork of the current lot resembles the ones of Claude Monet’s Massif de chrysanthèmes and Fleurs dans un pot (Roses et brouillard), which showed his possible stylistic inspiration while creating the painting. Mr. Fong Yuk Yan, who had been representing Wu since the 1980s in Hong Kong, recalled that when he discussed Field Chrysanthemums  with the artist, he mentioned the shape and outline of the flowers resembles the one of Henry Moore’s sculptural work. Not only does this show Wu’s possible inspiration from Western abstract sculptures, but it also showcases Wu’s confidence and familiarity with the medium, which is evident in the smooth and flourish composition of the painting.

In 1993, “Spirit of the East”, a major exhibition of the work of Wu Guanzhong, travelled to the Queen's Room of the Empress Palace Museum in Singapore, the Howard Salon in Taipei, and the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The exhibition featured both oil and ink masterpieces, twenty-four paintings in total, which were created between the 1970s and the 1990s. One exceptional painting from this exhibition, Field Chrysanthemums, was painted by Wu Guangzhong twice, in 1974 and 1993, demonstrating its particular importance to him. The exhibition was a great success, and Field Chrysanthemums was collects ed into private collects ion after the exhibition, Wu Guanzhong even wrote a hand-written letter for the current work, explaining the environment and process of its creation. Now 30 years later, the letter and the painting is still kept in great condition, so as the flowers, which are still thriving in the painting.

On the oil painting Field Chrysanthemums

“During the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, I used oil paintings to paint from nature in the outdoors. I almost always painted on plywood, which was very difficult to come by at the t.mes . Even relatively low-quality plywood was extremely valuable.

One corner of the plywood on which I made this painting, Field Chrysanthemums, was somewhat haggard, so I had used adhesive plaster to repair it before painting on it. It had no effect on the overall tableau, and once the painting was framed, the flaw was completely hidden. When I looked at this painting closely in 1993, I noticed that the style was overly subtle, so I decided to work on it further. I gave it a new tone, making it a work of collaboration between 1974 and 1993. Its creation spanned nineteen years, with a white signature from 1974 (scraped with a knife) and a red signature, in ink, from 1993, making it a very rare work from my creative career. My hope is that subsequent collects ors will appreciate the specialness of this painting.

Wu Guanzhong 1993

Notes upon completing Field Chrysanthemums”

《野菊花》
——王進家一朵朵，一簇簇，一片片，
亮晶晶，嬌艷，青紅黃白皆常見。
池畔，溝旁，大路邊。
樂與雜草長相伴。
莫道瘦，根深葉茂總勁健，
不識施肥與澆灌。
展枝著花總隨便，
都無緣修剪。

吳冠中對花的情有獨鍾貫穿了他一生的藝術創作。1974年，吴冠中回到北京，重启艺术创作；此否极泰来的环境及心情转变，反映在诞生于同年的《野菊》（拍品編號1016）上。吳冠中筆下花卉的不僅是繪畫的題材，更是吳冠中對自身精神及處境的自畫像。野菊不是溫室中的花，而是曠野中花卉，哪怕環境艱苦，仍可在春風吹拂時傲然盛開，一如藝術家對藝術與生命的熱情，支撐他度過人生的低谷期，伴隨他迎來苦盡甘來的日子。

《野菊》是吴冠中野外写生的代表作之一，凝聚藝術家七〇年代油畫作品的典型特征。藝術家此時期四處遊歷時隨身攜帶畫具，將所到之處收入眼內的風景都盡數捕捉於畫面上。吳冠中着重在画上捕捉菊花堅韌不屈欣欣向榮的意境，而非花卉的写实形态。這一創作風格與歐洲印象派描绘事物意境的主旨呼应。印象派野外繪畫（En plein air）的形式打破了傳統繪畫的固有形態，印象派的畫家執著於在野外作畫，務求用最直接的方式捕捉事物在自然環境中的形態、顏色、光影變化。但寫實，並不是印象派畫家的初衷，而是要捕捉事物的「印象」。吳冠中用簡潔的白、粉藍色，以及簡短急促的筆觸，將野菊花團錦簇的茂盛景象盡數捕捉於畫上，予人春風如沐，生機勃勃的愉悅感受。《野菊》的用色和筆觸與印象派作品，如克勞德·莫內的《菊花》和《盆中花（玫瑰與滿天星）》，有相似之處，由此可見，吳冠中創作寫生油畫時，或以印象派作畫風為創作靈感。於香港代理吴冠中作品的方毓仁先生憶述，他與吳冠中談及此畫時曾提出畫中菊花花簇圓滑、流暢的形態與英國雕塑家亨利·摩爾作品中體態豐腴的女子造型相互呼應。不僅顯示吳冠中在作畫構圖時或有向西方藝術涉取靈感，亦可見吳冠中下筆構圖之流暢與得心應手，盡顯他廣涉中、西的高超作畫造詣。

1993年，此時已是知名環宇的國際大師吴冠中举行「东方情思」大型巡回个展，先后在新加坡文物馆女皇厅、台北福华沙龙、以及香港会议展览中心展出，展出一系列藝術家七〇至九〇年代的精彩傑作，《野菊》即是展出作品之一，亦是一眾展品中最為獨特的。《野菊》誕生於1974年，在1993年獲得藝術家再次創作，可見其對此作的情有獨鐘。「东方情思」展覽十分成功，《野菊》亦於展覽後收入私人收藏，吳冠中更為《野菊》寫下一封親筆信，細述《野菊》的創作過程及環境，雖只有簡單數句，字裡行間卻都體現出藝術家對此作的珍重和愛惜。時隔三十年，本作與親筆信至今保存完好，而畫中菊花仍是傲然盛放，無論經過多久，仍舊讓人久觀不倦，愈陳愈香。

《關於油畫「野菊」》

「我五、六、七十年代在野外用油畫寫生，基本都畫在三合板上，當時三合板甚難購到，故即使碰上質量較次著，亦甚珍惜。這幅《野菊》一角原有些微殘缺，自己用膠布等彌補後照樣作畫，因對整幅畫面毫無影響，配入外框更根本看不見。1993年審視此畫，覺得作風過於細微，便重新整理，賦以新腔，便成了74年與93年合作之作品，創作期跨越十九年，畫面簽署有七四年（刀刮白紋）及紅色九三年，係我創作歷程中稀有品重矣。希日後之收藏者注意此特殊性。

吳冠中 一九九三年

完成《野菊》後記」