EXHIBITED:
R/evolution, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei, November 1-27, 2009

ILLUSTRATED:
R/evolution, Tina Keng Gallery, Taipei, 2009, color illustrated, pp. 38-39

“The subjects of Lin Fengmian’s still lifes are highly accessible; with the subject matter positioned in the foreground where it will strike the eye at once, the paintings have a powerful visual and “tactile” impact on the viewer. On the silent canvas, the interior lighting is the only connection to the outside world. Within this tiny space, Lin’s art succeeds in creating a sense of fullness and harmony.”

LIN FENGMIAN - AN INTEGRATION OF THE FINEST MERITS OF TRADITIONS

There is general consensus that Lin reached the peak of his creativity during the 1950s and 60s, the present lot “Potted Cactus” testifies to Lin’s harmonious synthesis of elements derived from both the Eastern and Western traditions, captivating an instant of still-life transformed by the subjectivity of Lin Fengmian within a globalized context. The sinuous crisscross pattern constituting the background is overlaid with a thin wash of ink suggesting a melancholy poignant interior setting while simultaneously guiding the viewer’s eyes toward the multiple “Potted Cactus” and naturalistic plants bearing star-shaped yellow blossoms. The various vessels rendered in contrasting shades of white and black are connotative of light and dark that contributes to a balanced composition. The heavily larger vessels are strategically placed against the smaller ones in the foreground to strengthen the two dimensional quality and heighten the sense of proximity with the viewer. Interestingly, The black and pale icy blue line outlining the extremities of the circular vessels emphasizes its roundness against other square-formed vessels. A format that Lin favored as the artist believes that squares and circles are ideal companions in any composition in offering harmony and balance to a painting.

Interestingly, the thin layer of ink wash does not cover the background entirely, this uncovered area enhances an iridescent radius of what appears to be a blanket of white mist surrounding the yellow blossoms, an attribute that works magnificently in heightening the vitality of the plants. The spontaneous airy brushstrokes constituting the yellow petals also suggest motion, as if the dainty yellow blossoms are swaying ever so slightly at the hint of a light breeze. The elongated stems bearing light-lavender and yellow buds near the opposing edges of the painting is strategically utilized to frame the circular-shaped plants occupying the middle of the pictorial composition, the sinuous diverging and outward-pointing brush stokes works miraculously in negating a wider space that extends beyond the confines of the painting. In stark contrast to the distant conveyed by Lin’s landscape paintings, the artist’s still-life depictions such as the present lot is connotative of a defined space of close proximity, whereby these “Potted Cactus” appear to be reachable or accessible by hand. Lin Fengmian once comments, “The meaning of simplicity…is to seek out, within the complexity of natural phenomenon, the personality, the texture, and overall expressions of colors they present. To tease out an overall concept and meaning from the minutiae of a scene.” This sensuous richness can be visually ascertained, feel and touch within the protective confines of a domestic environment that Lin had impeccably created.

In retrospect, Lin has been exposed to classical Chinese ink works since a young age, as both his grandfather and his father were artists respectively. It would seem logical to regard Europe as Lin’s initial encounter with Western art as Lin was merely in his twenties when he visited France, this initial encounter would proved to be pivotal in his later journey in employing Western modes as means to comment on the social realities of China. It is visible that Lin’s still life such as the present lot actively embodies painterly techniques the artist derived from his encounter with Europe. Although Western modernist painting may appear at odds with traditional Chinese ink paintings, the two schools does however have certain properties in common. The genre of still life illuminate the case in point, although it is inherently Western in origin, Lin’s ink works such as “Potted Cactus” exhibits visible traces of a stylistic influence of Matisse and of the late cubism. In this regard, Lin’s mastery in utilizing colors, the white and negative space not only allow the artist to inject an emotional tone into the present lot, it also introduce light effects and the concept of interior illumination in “Potted Cactus”, where the airy iridescent light surrounding the yellow florets suggest the visibility of a light source coming from behind the central potted plants and cactuses. This preoccupation in manipulation of light can also be observed in many still-life works of Matisse, who is a master in suggesting light through color. In this regard, the two artists are comparable in their use of black as a color, rather then an absence of color. In 1916, Matisse commented on his love of black “before, when I didn’t know what color to put down, I put black. Black is a force, I depend on black to simplify the construction.” “Potted Cactus” imparts a similar decorative pictorial quality.

Lin’s “Potted Cactus” epitomizes the artist’s pursuit in devising an artistic language that is both representative of the modern era while simultaneously retaining sentimental elements that remains distinctly Chinese. The black line in the present lot and its washes of color emphasize the essential spirit of traditional Chinese painting and calligraphy. While areas of contrasting light and shadow visible in the present lot portrayed through the transparency of color inks such as the magnificent brushstrokes that portrays a clear vessel exposing the green stems on the right, the saturated colors achieved through repeated application of the ink on the potted plants and the sinuous lines resembling the spikes on the cactuses brings an extra richness of texture and expressiveness to the composition. In essence, the subtle backlight emanating from the background in “Potted Cactus” enhances the pictorial composition adding a nostalgic quality to the potted plants. In this regard Lin had deliberately placed his subject at the center of the painting imbued with a harmonization of a color palette, the gradual layering of a lively color palette of contrasting shades of blue and lavender, yellow and green greatly compliments the work’s sense of harmony. “Potted Cactus” can be interpreted as the summit of Lin Fengmian’s artistic career, a time period when his stylistic approach was at its most mature. It is a concrete representation of a work that embraces outstanding features of both Eastern and Western Art.