In 1956, Mathieu had a meeting with Dr. Zhou, the permanent representative of China at UNESCO, and Chang Dai-Chien, a prodigious Chinese calligrapher. Afterward, he published an essay titled, “Connections between certain aspects of lyrical, non-figurative painting and Chinese calligraphy.” In it, Mathieu addresses the correlation between lyrical abstract painting and Chinese calligraphy. Since creativity has no limitations, any preexistence of forms should be ignored, he argued. Mathieu preferred to paint alone at night, even completing dozens of paintings in reclusion three days before his exhibitions. Painting the canvas directly with paint tubes became a hallmark of his works. Mathieu stressed the aesthetic of rapidity, fluidity, and explosiveness. Each ever-changing spectacle made by the artist, whether it be unrestrained grandeur or an unyielding elegance, exerts subtle influences on the minds of viewers. To simplify his ideas for the public, Mathieu imbued paintings with the purpose of an impromptu performance, leaving a forward-thinking page in history for action paintings. He once said, "few understood that painting in public represents for me a true communion amongst men."

The painting lot 029 Ocydrome , created in 1979 by Georges Mathieu, its title comes from ancient Greek terminology. Invoking representative colors from the early works of Georges Mathieu, the bold red and black composition is magnificent and imposing. The works of Mathieu in the late 1970s are characterized by three features: nebula astronomical configurations, sturdy weavings, and intermittent lines that seem to represent “super symbols”. The deep rosy background color of Ocydrome exhibits passionate energy within gentle elegance, relying on subtle gradients and transparency to create a sense of spatial dimensions. The muscular and powerful abstract graphics, in addition to the dark bold lines, recall the flamboyant and grandeur baroque style of the 17th century. The intense postures of determined brush strokes either folding horizontally or flinging away or pressing downward, demonstrate fully the potent spirit of the grand master.

In 1984, Oc ydrome made its first public appearance in the artist’s solo exhibition
at Théâtre municipal de Brive in France. The Ville de Brive was the first French city liberated by independent forces from German occupation in WWII. As part of the 40th anniversary of liberation on August 16, 1984, the government of Ville de Brive invited the most representative artist of the times, Georges Mathieu, to put on a special exhibition. A verse by 18th century German poet Friedrich von Schiller of the Age of Enlightenment was used as the exhibition title: The path to liberty is through beauty. (C’est par la beauté que l’on s’achemine ver la liberté). In return, Mathieu created a large-scale painting titled L’Honneur de Brive as a gift for the city, to express his utmost respect for the martyrs who sacrificed themselves in pursuit of freedom.

The movement of Lyrical Abstraction led by Georges Mathieu began flourishing in the 1940s, and became a trend in Europe after the 1950s. To further explore Eastern culture, Mathieu corresponded frequently with artists in Japan and China. Chinese art master Zao Wou-Ki became acquainted with Mathieu soon after arriving in France, and their close friendship became well-known in the art community. Between July and September of 2003, Mathieu held a largescale solo retrospective exhibition at the Jeu de Paume, locates in the Tuileries Gardens in Paris, which was built as a tennis court and converted later into an art exhibition museum since 1909. Subsequently in the same year, Zao Wou-Ki also held his solo exhibition at the museum. As an important art work of Mathieu in the late 1970s, the Ocydrome was part of the exhibition at Jeu de Paume, and became part of a touring exhibition to Italy and other places.