Painted in 1966 on a 4ft paper, this work is one of the rare carefree paintings of Yu Chung-lin, depicted with an eagle and landscape. The eagle is highlighted at the center with a mountainous landscape in the middle ground. Yu Chung-lin was largely recognized by his flower and bird paintings. In fact, his landscape paintings are also astounding. In this work, black, red and green pose stark contrast in a simplistic composition, highlighting the subject matter of the eagle. Light ink was applied on the body of the eagle, followed by saturated ink and swift strokes for the layers of feathers. Dots were applied on tail feathers highlighting the feature. With a few strokes, the mighty character of the eagle was depicted. Double outline was used for the beak and eyes. Claws clutching the rocks display the fierce side of the predator. Meticulous details are the key to appreciating Yu's works. The artist's family mentioned that Yu stumbled upon a specimen of an eagle and quickly did a life sketch of the bird in his notebook. Such a sketch later became the foundation of his famous Eagle painting in gongbi.



In this work, Yu depicted hills with broad carefree strokes in saturated ink. The hills at the front were dyed in red and dry brush, forming layers of rugged cliffs through dots. Green was used for distant hills in multiple layers. Yu depicted the character of the eagle, by staging it at the mountain top looking back with fearsome eyes. Such composition suggests its nobility yet in loneliness. The inscription ended with a seal carved by Tai Jing-nong of a noble character derived from Quzi Yu, as a proclamation of Yu's character. Such a seal echoes with the painting and inscription forming a rare and meaningful work of history.