Born in 1955 at Pingyang Hall in Waishuangxi, Taipei, YU Peng, whose given name was WU Kun-Ren, revealed an innate passion for art from an early age. At eleven, he began to explore clay modeling, sculpture, and woodblock printing on his own. He later studied at the studio of CHEN Yi-Keng, and after completing his military service, learned watercolor under TENG Kuo-Ching and figure painting with LEE Chi-Mao. Relying on his artistic skill, he made a living on the streets by selling small watercolors, sketches, ink paintings, and commissioned portraits, becoming Taiwan’s first street artist of his time.
Unbound by formal academic training, Yu Peng moved beyond the conventions of schools and artistic lineages, seeking the traces of art within his own lived experience. Gardens, figures, and landscapes thus became essential subjects in his painting. Strangely shaped rocks, winding ancient trees, peculiar animals, figures in unusual attire, and characters that seem at once ancient and contemporary all appear within his garden landscapes in a state of unnatural yet compelling harmony. This, too, reflects what Yu Peng sought to express: the structural correspondence between human beings and nature.
From a street artist to a professional painter recognized in the auction market, Yu Peng forged a distinctive artistic language through perseverance and self-cultivation. His paintings are richly composed, yet they retain a sense of breathing space. Through his agile command of structure and the resonance of ink, one senses throughout his profound dedication to, and enduring commitment to, the art of ink painting.