Horses in a Green Landscape 1931

Editor: This is Sanyu’s "Horses in a Green Landscape" from 1931, painted using oil. The contrast between the bold brushstrokes of the green and the delicate outlines of the horses is quite striking. What do you see in this work? Curator: For me, it is fundamentally about the *making* of an image. Consider the materiality of the oil paint, applied in such broad, gestural strokes, versus the drawn quality of the horses. Sanyu is emphasizing the labor involved in representation, breaking down the traditional hierarchy between painting and drawing, craft and high art. The ground isn't just "green"; it's the result of repeated, visible actions. What does this layering and mark-making suggest to you? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn't thought about the *process* so explicitly. It does feel like the green ground is almost more of a record of action than simply a field. Do you think there is a statement being made about the value of labour itself? Curator: Absolutely. Think about Sanyu’s own labor as an artist working within specific economic and social conditions. The simplified forms and limited palette may also reflect certain resource constraints, or a deliberate choice to subvert expectations of elaborate, academic painting prevalent at the time. Also the blank or negative space might be a suggestion about emptiness of materialism as such. Editor: That gives me a lot to consider about how materials and their use can convey deeper meanings. I hadn’t approached the artwork from this angle, it adds such depth. Curator: It shifts our focus from simply 'what is depicted' to 'how is it made, and what does that making signify within its specific time?' Editor: A completely different viewpoint, thanks! Curator: My pleasure. Art’s true beauty lives in what makes it.