Matthew Yu

Searching for Light

This piece is meant to illustrate my struggles between aspiration and expectation. My last name, Yu, is pronounced the same as 'fish' in Mandarin, and I often compare myself to these animals. The sunlight shines above them, yet the lily pads obscure the rays of light. This metaphor represents the tension I face: the constant struggle between fulfilling the hopes of my family and pursuing my own desires. The lily pads, while beautiful, symbolize the barriers of responsibility and obligation that block the light of personal fulfillment. I also chose to create wild strokes and splashes of water using watered down acrylic the further the chaotic nature of this conflict that replays often in my mind. 

I used oil and acrylic on canvas and used palette knives and brushes to complete this painting. This, mixture of paints and tools allowed me to create the texture i wanted to achieve in this painting, from the wild splashes of water, to the scales on the fish. There is also a very faint stippling effect in the background which i achieve using a toothbrush and Q-tips.