When Guangzhou fell into the Japanese in 1938, Hu Shanyu felt extremely depressed and had to leave his hometown for Chongqing where he taught at his alma mater, National College of Arts (NCA). The girl in the painting, admitted to NCA in 1944, admired Hu very much and often asked for his guidance as she heard that Hu graduated from the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. Gradually, they developed a deep friendship. The elegance and dignity of the girl also triggered a strong desire for Hu to draw a painting for her.

Featuring a warm light brownish tone, the young girl with black hair sits in a chair with her right hand resting on her pale lilac dress and her left hand on the armrest. She slightly turns her face to one side with light casting on her snow-white cheeks. Her eyes imply some melancholy yet thoughtful feeling as if she indulged in self-reflection and meditation. With smooth lines contouring the figure, the green sweater painted with thin, swift strokes, creates a contrasting block of color with the overall warm tone. The integration of colors and lines and the blurred background distinctly reveal a kind of oriental style, expressing a sense of simplicity and innocence.

Hu, embracing the idea that art is created for the public, regards painting as balm to hearts. With delicate brushstrokes, the young girl in the painting offered some refreshment to the home front during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and brought people hope in such a hard time. In his artistic creation, Hu has been exploring the nationalized oil paintings and keeping trying how to integrate techniques of western oil paintings with Chinese elements better. The oriental poetics conveyed in A Girl in Green Sweater is one of the best proofs of his exploration.

(Edited by Li Hanning & Yang Zhige, 2021)