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Lin Fengmian is one of the harbingers advocating the integration of Western and Chinese painting in 20th century Chinese arts. As an artist who experienced over ten years of life's vicissitudes, he developed a rich, unique way of thinking that led to evaluating and deciding upon his own style. Ever since late 1950's, Lin Fengmian has manifested a penchant for painting fall scenes, from the leaves, riverbanks, villages, cottages, all contain a wide spectrum of colors and light.

Lin Fengmian began with Chinese painting and later moved on to Western painting. Influence by Impressionism, he is versed in coping with light and colors in his painting, On the other hand, he owed his adept skill of painting "empty space" mostly to traditional Chinese painting, along with his own innovation. Lin Fengmian intended to put more elements of "reality" into Chinese freehand paintings by mixing the features of calligraphy and watercolor painting. He replaced the traditional concept of empty space in Chinese painting, by painting skies and waters. Later in his life, he pursued many techniques and styles of mixing Chinese and Western painting. Lin Fengmian's innovation in landscape painting is undoubtedly the zenith of arts.

"Layers of Mount Scene" applies a "tri- partition" to the composition of the picture. The top part is painted in ink and contains splendid scenery of layers of mountains encircled by moist clouds. The middle part is the intensely contrasted image of maple forests covered in glittering red, while several small cottages rest between, instilling bright colors and levity to the atmosphere. On the bottom part is the freehand work where the coarse ground is drawn in black lines. Viewers may experience the beauty through the subordination of the composition. "Layers of Mount Scene" is Lin Fengmian's masterful work that realizes the beauty of structure, ink stroke and artistic concept emphasized in Chinese landscape painting.