PROVENANCE:

EXHIBITED:

ILLUSTRATED:

Art critic Lin Hsing-yueh once described Xu Beihong as a bright constellation, saying that his paintings emit light in all directions, his pupils are found all over the place and his name is famous everywhere. However, in the critic's eyes, Lin Fengmian is like a cold and distant star "because his career steps are quicker and go farther than those of Xu Beihong. His foundation of the old traditions is not bad, and he can accept new concepts and technology quickly. In addition, his bold and liberal temperament makes his creations impulsive and exceptionally lively, and his brush strokes are full of intensity. Without a doubt, Lin Fengmian is one of the truly talented painters emerging after 1911. Though he did not demonstrate his ability during his lifetime as much as Xu, the art he left behind has no less, maybe more, potential to be enlightening for the later generations as compared to Xu's paintings. The passage of time will close the distance between Lin's paintings and the people, who will gradually discover that this cold star has, as it turns out, a wonderful and extraordinary splendor." (Lin Hsing-yueh, 'A Wonder ful and Extraordinarily Splendid Cold Star – Reflections on Fengmian in the Light of the Present', Artist Magazine, issue 24, Taipei, May 1977, p. 26)

Shiy De-jinn also praised Lin Fengmian as the "innovation pioneer of Chinese painting". He said, "Lin Fengmian singlehandedly charged toward the peak in the sphere of Chinese painting, throwing everyone else at a distance. He seems unusual and isolated like a giant , making it impossible for fellow painters to stand side by side with or reach him." (Shiy De-jinn, Innovation Pioneer of Chinese Painting – Lin Fengmian, Hsiung Shih Art Book Co. Ltd., Taipei, 1979, color illustration, p. 12)

Vadime Elisseeff (1918-2002), director of Musée Cernuschi in Paris , is a sinologist who also holds a favorable view of Lin Fengmian's art, "Of all artists who familiarized Chinese people with western painting, helping them understand it and its artistry, and made contributions over the past 50 years or more, Lin Fengmian is one to be mentioned. In other words, he is the only artist since 1924 to approach the example of a harmonious integration of the essence of the east and the west." (Dans tous les peintres qui ont contribué depuis d'une demi-siècle à mieux faire connaître en Chine la peinture occidentale et ses techniques, Lin Fong-mien ou Lin Fon ming sous la forme française qu'il adopta pour se plier au goût de Montparnasse) se place au plus haut range. Il est, de plus, le seul sans doute a avoir approché cet « idéal de fusion spirituelle et harmonieuse del'Orient et del'Occident » qu'il avait lui-même défini dès 1924. (Vadime Elisseeff, Preface of 'Lin Fon Ming, preintre chinois contemporain' exhibition catalogue, Musée Cernuschi, Paris, 1979)

Lin Fengmian has taken twent iet h century Chinese painting into a whole new realm. After the introduction by art historians, the history of Chinese painting gradually regained its status. A number of critics unanimously hold the opinion that Lin's landscape painting exhibition is a sincere presentation of his character. His majestically impressive ideas are not imitations of any object. All subjects painted by him are expressions of his innermost feelings. Landscape painting has always been the most developed form of Chinese painting. From its conception in the Epoch of Warring States to the heights of its development during the Tang, Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, emphasis was invariably laid on the beauty of form, ink and brush and artistic conception. Artistic conception is of primary significance in Chinese landscape painting. The beauty of nature, which is similar to the beauty of form in Chinese painting, is highlighted by the ancient saying, "Poetry is an invisible painting, whereas painting is a concrete poetry" and "Painting exists in poetry and poetry lives in painting". Post-Impressionists and new schools of paint ing in the twentieth century are also particular about the beauty of form, which is close to the beauty of ink and brush in Chinese landscape painting. Western landscape paintings give more importance to visual communication, that is, the external aesthetic perception; whereas Chinese landscape paintings stress on artistic conception, or frame of mind, moving the audience and engaging them in introspection, and on internal sentiment.

Having learned Chinese and Western paintings, Lin obviously realized their advantages at an early stage. During his teaching period, he put in every effort to promote the trend of free creation. Landscape painting has always been one of the most important works in his artistic career, which extended more than sixty years from the Chongqing, Hangzhou and Shanghai periods to the later Hong Kong period. Apart from landscape and artistic conception, he subtly combined Western painting methods such as focal perspective, watercolours, lightening of dark shades, light treatment and ambience creation. His landscape paintings mostly consist of recollections and expressions of individual sentiments and ideals. Hence there is a unique charm in the landscapes. Poet Ai Qing once wrote of his paintings as "colorful poetry" in admiration. According to renowned art historian Lang Shaojun, the "Autumn Scenery", "Autumn Ducks" and "West Lake" series are the most distinctive and captivating landscape paintings of Lin's mature period. (Chapter in Lang Shaojun, 'The Artistic Career of Lin Fengmian')

"Village in the Maple Forest " is a representative work completed in the mid 1980s . The colorful canvas is composed in the trisection style. The dark upper section consists of small and steep ranges hiding behind misty clouds at the extensive distance. The middle section, which comprises a maple forest colored red by autumn, is resplendent and dazzling in stark contrast to the upper part. Low cottages are strewn at random in a lively atmosphere rendered in a riotous profusion of colors. Freehand brushwork is used to paint the land at the lower section where dark, rugged stones are contoured in a disorderly fashion using black lines. The light of the entire painting, which lies in the midsection, enables the onlooker to immediately experience the relation between the primary and the secondary and find the experience of beauty. After going through the torment of the Cultural Revolution, Lin moved to Hong Kong, where his inhibitions are adequately released as his paintings became more colorful and freer in form."Village in the Maple Forest" met the three beauty requirements of Chinese Landscape painting in terms of its structure, brush skill and concept. It is truly the master piece of Lin's.

To commemorate Lin's death anniversary in 1992, a grand exhibition"Works of Lin Fengmian"was held by the Hong Kong Ar t s Cent r e , br inging about much excitement at that time. Of the 50 paintings were exhibited, "Village in the Maple Forest"is the most important work. It was selected for the cover of ArtsLink by the Arts Centre to serve as introduction to the exhibition. A number of collections held at Hong Kong's Sanhuai House were also displayed in the exhibition, and one of them was "Green Willows, West Lake" lot 050, Ravenel Spring Auction, 1997.