“我想造一座桥，是东方和西方，人民和专家，具象和抽象之间的桥。”
著名油画家吴冠中被我国美术界称作是一位“通古今之变，成中西之美”的艺术家。他的作品多以饱和的色彩、有力的块面、飘动的线条，将复杂的事物归纳、锤炼成单纯、素净的造型，形成一种具有中国文化精神和现代形式美感的绘画风格。他的经典作品《太湖鹅群》就是一个典型。中央广播电视总台纪录片《美术里的中国》通过精准视觉动画设计，赋予画作动静对比，展现形状与色彩碰撞之余，更加呈现出油画中承载的中国意境。
现收藏于中国美术馆的《太湖鹅群》被誉为中国写意油画的突破之作。1974年，吴冠中泛舟太湖写生，天光湖色之间嬉戏喧闹、拥挤争食的鹅群激发了他的想象。他迅速拿起画笔，以清新淡雅的色调记录下眼前那充满活力、富有节奏的场景。画面上绿色、浅黄色的块面与白团、红点的聚散，给观者一种抽象的形式美，仿若从中能听到鹅群的欢叫声和扑打湖面的水花声。跳跃的笔触勾勒出鹅群的动感，独特的色彩渲染出太湖的风韵。渔舟中的炊火和晾晒的衣服不仅成为全画的亮点，也使它洋溢着生活的气息与生命的活力。
Collected by the National Art Museum of China, the work "Geese on Taihu Lake" is regarded as an iconic Chinese oil painting. In 1974, Wu Guanzhong was painting the waterscapes of Taihu Lake while on a boat. As a flock of geese swarmed nearby to the food scattered by a farmer, the water seemed to come alive against the backdrop of the distant mountains. To capture the frenzy of the scene, the artist swiftly laid blocks of white on the canvas in a seemingly random arrangement. With red dots he then started marking the heads of geese. The pulsating brushstrokes captured the flock's dynamism and the charms of the lake, while the cooking fire and heavily laden clothesline established a human presence.油画起源于十五世纪的欧洲，明清时期传入中国。为使这种西方绘画形式更容易被国人所接受，吴冠中与其他同时代画家一同开启了“油画民族化”道路的探索与实践。1947年，吴冠中赴法国学习美术。西方现代的绘画技法和理念让这位年轻的画家感到惊叹，但他未被画中的内容和思想所征服；因为对吴冠中来说，烟雨江南的故乡记忆才是他心中最美的风景。1950年归国后，他尝试以西方的现代造型规律记写中国江南的人文风物，画出大美新中国。Oil painting originated in Europe in the 15th century, and was introduced to China over 400 years ago. To ensure that the Western painting style was more easily accepted by Chinese people, Wu Guanzhong and other painters started exploring ways of "nationalizing" oil painting by experimenting with different techniques and content.In 1947, Wu left for Paris to study fine arts. He marveled at the Western techniques and approaches, but not the subjects. In his heart, Wu still yearned for the beautiful scenery of his hometown. He returned to China three years later, and tried to apply Western visual vocabulary into his depiction of his native landscapes. His paintings captured the enchanting beauty of the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, as well as the mountains and waters of southern China.吴冠中深谙东西方艺术精髓。他认为，中西结合是时代潮流。在代表作《太湖鹅群》中，西方油画中不常见的银灰，被他用于描绘江南水乡的春阴素素、平林默默，而高饱和度的纯色亮点，则成为了他心里姑苏生活的平平淡淡、趣意盎然。用起源于西方的油画，承载根植于东方的意境，吴冠中的油画作品蕴含着鲜明、浓厚的中国式人文情怀。基于民族审美情趣，画家将中国传统文化精髓融入油画创作中，为中国油画的发展开辟了新道路，并创造性地将中国艺术的精神与风貌推向了世界。Wu Guanzhong once said, "I want to build a bridge between the East and West, between the common folk and professional, and between the concrete and abstract." In his view, the integration of the East and West was a sign and trend of the times. In his representative work "Geese on Taihu Lake," the silvery grey strokes seldom seen in Western paintings accentuate the tranquil serenity of the springtime in eastern China. Meanwhile, the dabs of intense hues enliven the scenery.Combining the Western medium of oil painting with time-honored Chinese aesthetics, Wu Guanzhong's works convey a strong sense of Chinese expressiveness. Based on the national aesthetics, his paintings absorb the essence of Chinese traditional culture, integrating the charm of "the Orient" into his oil paintings. In addition, the artist has created many oil paintings with China's national characteristics, which broadened the artistic visions and painting concepts of his time, and also helped the world better understand Chinese art.