Page 101 - The Pioneers, November 26, 2016 Hong Kong

- arguably the most representative Chinese artists; and
steer Chinese art education to new horizons. Lin had
made "blending Chinese and Western art practices" the
pursuit of his life: from art theories to actual application,
Lin married Chinese and Western art practises with
his creative input, and braved a new path for Chinese
painting with the spirit of a contemporary artist and
aesthetician. This oil piece created by Lin in the 1950's,
Fishing Village(Lot 2512), is the quintessence of ultimate
artistic attainment: it celebrates the artist's compositional
finesse, skillful manipulation of light and space, and his
breakthroughs in fusing Chinese and Western arts in
masterful colour application.
In early 1950's, Lin resigned from the College and
moved to Shanghai to start his life as a semi-recluse.
The liberal climate in Shanghai's art community, and
the more financially secure lifestyle there allowed Lin to
devote himself completely into his creative vision as he
welcomed a boom in artistic creations after his days at the
College. In mid- and late 1950's, artists were encouraged
to experience life in factories and farm villages, and
Lin shifted his focus to the magnificence of natural
panoramas. His travels took him to Huangshan in Anhui,
Dongshan in Suzhou, Zhoushan in Zhejian, and Xin'an
River. A down-to-earth man with an appetite for life, Lin
found himself drawn to the natural landscape and rustic
charms of the country after his extensive contact with
farmers, whose friendliness touched him deeply. These
experiences also inspired Lin to create a number of pieces
on life in the farming village. Lin Fengmian's student, Zhu
Lin Fengmian, Fishing Harvest, Oil on canvas, Painted in 1950s Lin Fengmian, Fishing, Oil on canvas, Painted in 1950s
林風眠《漁婦》油彩 畫布, 74 x 92.5 cm, 1950年代作
Ying, said as much about Lin's works during this particular
period in Art with Taste: 'Lin was all alone after his wife
and daughter left the country (1955), yet that freed him
up for more industrious art-making. At that time, Lin
travelled to the rustic countryside often to capture the
sight of farmers labouring in the field and fall harvests in
his many paintings. He heeded the silhouette movement
of the characters to give his work a storyline and rich
variations, ensuring specific decorativeness of the work,
while taking a step back from overdramatised detailing.
His palette was powerful, the silhouette free and bold to
make a strong statement.' Fishing Village is a masterpiece
of this particular stage in Lin's career: the sailboats afar
rock gently, and the fish in the foreground leap in joy and
bask in the golden twilight, radiating peacefulness. The
work symbolised favourable weather and abundance. This
piece is composed in Lin's signature 'square format': the
presentation in its entirety is characterised by the cavalier
perspective over the surface, instead of more defined
proportions of distances with perspective. Interlacing lines
and overlapping colour blocks are used to dimensionalise
the depths of the composition.
Although the inspiration came from real-life, Lin was not
interested in limiting his art to the conventional, static
sketches; instead, he wanted to highlight the 'movement'
of his figures and objects. The characters in his works are
disjoined by movements first before reassembling; the
silhouettes of his characters and objects are striking and
forceful, giving them a visual, dynamic grace. And instead
of overdramatised detailing, Lin made coloured blocks
林風眠《捕魚》油彩 畫布, 38 x 40 cm, 1950年代作