Landscape with Geese
Lin Fengmian
Description
Known for uniting traditional Chinese painting techniques with Western painting methods, Lin Fengmian was a pivotal figure in modern Chinese painting and in the development of modern art education in China. As a child, Lin studied traditional Chinese painting and after graduating from high school he went to Europe to study painting in France and Germany, where he immersed himself in the modernist art movements. While he maintains the traditional hanging scroll format in Landscape with Geese, he gives the composition strong horizontal movement and an almost Impressionist treatment. Unlike many traditional Chinese paintings that leave a significant amount of unpainted space, Lin covers nearly the entire surface in pigment. Lin uses soft color, an intricate layering of paint, and a beautiful choreography of ink and wash to introduce a sense of tranquility to the landscape.
(Chinese Gallery Rotation, Spring 2009)
Subject Matter:
Eight geese fly low amoung plants or reeds. The artist uses a mastery of sweeping brushstrokes of varying intensity to convey the general landscape and horizontal movement of this painting. The dense water content in the brush gives the scene a watery, perhaps emotional, tranquil, or cold feeling.
Physical Description:
Sweeping brushstrokes of varying intensity convey the general landscape of this painting. More detailed brushwork is used to illustrate eight geese flying low amoung plants or reeds.
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