ILLUSTRATED:

Still life was Lin Fengmian' s most favorite theme form later 1940' s to 1960' s, including "Flowers in Vase", pot flowers, glassware, cup trays, fruits and etc. In these still life works, he explored combination of composition, color, depiction and light, pursuing integration of ink and water-powder as well as orient verve and western form. Behind exploration of form is his endless pursuit for beauty and life energy. Appreciating these still lives is just like facing a both tranquil and splendid "Peach Blossom Garden" , a flame teemed with emotion and love, and an inner world with variable senses, minds and moods. Among Chinese artists, no second has painted the still life so rich and delicate, meantime, with such a kind of psychological contents.

"Flowers in Vase" was created by Lin Fengmian in 1950' s. Compared to the artist' s previous works, we can find some changes in his works, hue turning to be bright and mood to peace. Real sense to real life was evolved into depiction to the nature and the illusive circumstances, ink and color ink turning to be a principle form, and oil paintings were gradually reduced and even gone. Vehement yell and plaintive groan was transferred into serene reminiscence and colorful expression. Lang Shaojun made a simple outline about his aesthetic sentiments in this period in Discussion about Modern Chinese Fine Arts: They "include lucidness, brightness, ardency, plainness , profoundness , depression, loneliness, vividness and tranquility" , "surging, as a whole, with the life of the nature and weaving dreams of beauty and kindness". Lin Fengmian' s exploration as long as 40 years underwent change also, for instance, topics gradually going wide; emotion deepening; the fashion language going to be mature and complete and etc. but keeping a basic aesthetic pursuit, i.e. beauty and harmony, and internal lyricism.