Throughout his entire life, the artistic mission of modern master Lin Fengmian was “to introduce Western art and process Chinese art; to harmonise Chinese and Western art and create art of the era. ” Among his many different works, those on Peking opera subjects most aptly illustrate his spirit of harmonising Eastern and Western art. Using Peking opera as the creative subject, Lin Fengmian instilled within the works his commitment to his ideals, as well as his vision to create and innovate in the domain of Chinese art. Among such works, the rarest and the most sought-after by collectors is most certainly The Fiery Battle of Red Cliffs (Lot 1011).

In this Spring sale, Sotheby’s is honoured to present The Fiery Battle of Red Cliffs, a classic masterpiece that will be appearing at auction for the first time. Based on avant-garde Cubist techniques, which Lin Fengmian came to understand during his time studying in France, the present work combines this artistic influence with a traditional subject of Peking opera. Lin skillfully portrayed the operatic characters as well the colours and atmosphere of Peking opera, showing the traditional artform at its captivating best. It is an exceptional work within the artist’s Peking opera series. In 2013, Sotheby’s Hong Kong presented in its Fine Chinese Paintings sale another one of the artist’s work of the same title, which was keenly sought after and achieved an outstanding price of HK$18.6 million, six times above the pre-sale estimate. It has been eight years since this classic subject has appeared at auction anywhere around the world, making this rare appearance in the upcoming sale an extraordinary opportunity.

The Fiery Battle of Red Cliffs depicts a historical legend that takes place at the end of Eastern Han dynasty, when the powerful warlord Cao Cao led his army south to attack Jingzhou, controlled by warlord Liu Bei. Unlike Cao Cao who had ambitions to become emperor, Liu Bei vowed to uphold the rule of Han dynasty and joined forces with warlord Sun Quan in the famous battle. The climax of the story occurs at the Battle of Red Cliffs as the joint army deployed brilliant tactics and psychological warfare to emerge victorious against Cao’s more powerful forces. Over the years, the Battle of Red Cliff had inspired many literary and theatrical works, epitomising the triumph of the righteous over the devious. Lin’s painting The Fiery Battle of Red Cliffs depicts the opera performance on this epic subject, ingeniously borrowing from the genre of Peking opera its “scene division” approach to explain the story mode. It takes the concept of continual time to incorporate the expressive techniques of Cubism – i.e., the way Pablo Picasso combined objects and images from different time and space. Lin employed this approach to present time and space in juxtaposition, and to achieve theatrical expressions.

• Villain Cao Cao in the Battle of Red Cliffs

• In Peking opera, colours, images and patterns of the face masks are closely related to the characters’ temperament and traits. For example, the color of red is a symbol of loyalty while white is often used to represent villanious characters.

• The great general Huang Gai who took Zhou Yu’s order to feign a surrender to Cao and ultimately assisted Zhou in winning the Battle of Red Cliffs

• Sun Quan’s military adviser Zhou Yu

• The olive-shaped eyes on the face masks remind viewers of the similar collage technique of presentation adopted by Picasso in depicting the young women’s facial features in his representative work Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

In Peking opera, colours, images and patterns are closely related to the characters’ temperament and traits. In Lin’s The Fiery Battle of Red Cliffs, the villain Cao Cao bears the white-faced mask with a black beard on the middle left side, and to his right is Sun Quan’s military adviser Zhou Yu, who wears a helmet decorated with green feathers. Above Zhou Yu is the red-faced, white-bearded great general Huang Gai, who took Zhou’s order to feign a surrender to Cao and ultimately assisted Zhou in winning the Battle of Red Cliffs. Surrounding these main characters are masks symbolizing other fierce characters, some sinister and blue or green, some with just half a face, or one eye, some upside down, imbuing the painting with great dramatic tension and a sense of motion.

In his work, Lin Fengmian broke down the continuous actions of the Peking opera performers, incorporating various characters into the composition. The limitations of time and space were removed, and Peking opera masks were placed alongside to create a visual effect of warped space and time. Such a technique finds the same source of inspiration as montages in films and collages in Cubism. In the treatment of the masks’ special characteristics, presentation techniques from Cubism are perceptible. In particular, the olive-shaped eyes in the blue and green masks remind the viewer of Picasso’s representative work Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, which employed a collage technique of presentation in the way the young women’s facial features and the figures were reconstructed.

The red and black colours in The Fiery Battle of Red Cliffs unify different masks depicted and convey the stirring, dramatic atmosphere in the great battle. This technique, the use of colour to heighten the atmosphere, shares similarities with the Fauvist artistic approach in expressing emotions. Lin uses his typical composition in which “circles lie within squares whilst squares lie within circles” as the masks in The Fiery Battle of Red Cliffs are arranged in a circular pattern. Each mask shows twisted facial structures that reveals the influence of Cubism. The work perfectly presents the co-existence of the figurative and the abstract, the combination of Eastern and Western aesthetics, as well as the interweaving of traditional Peking opera subject and modern Cubist influences. Here on full display are Lin Fengmian’s artistic beliefs and vision throughout his life, making the painting a rare classic not to be missed.

「引進西洋藝術，整理中國藝術；調和中西藝術，創造時代藝術」為現代大師林風眠畢生秉持的藝術宗旨。宏觀其藝術生涯中的眾多創作，當以京劇主題最能體現其融和東西藝術的精神。中國京劇發展自乾隆年間，至清末民初已成風靡全國的流行文化及表演藝術，既訴民間傳說，也説古今歷史，體現中華文化的核心價值。林風眠以京劇戲曲為創作主題，寄寓自身對於理想主義精神的堅持，以及對中國藝術的創造與革新之願景；當中最為頂尖珍罕且受藏家所熱切渴求的，非《火燒赤壁》（拍品編號 1011）莫屬。

本季春拍，蘇富比非常榮幸徵得此幅首現拍場的經典之作，其以林風眠在旅法留學所吸取的前衛西方立體主義為基礎，結合中國傳統劇目主題，並配合人物表現和色彩氣氛的刻劃與營造，將中國京劇藝術最引人入勝之處，全然呈現於畫面之上，可堪藝術家在京劇系列創作中的極致。2013年，香港蘇富比中國書畫拍賣曾上拍另一幅《火燒赤壁》，引起藏家的熾熱競爭，最終以超越估價6倍的港幣1860萬成交。此經典主題睽違全球拍場八載，將於是次晚拍再度呈獻，殊為難能可貴。

林風眠早在二十年代旅法留學，是中國首批留學歐洲研習藝術的先鋒藝術家。二十年代中期回國後，一直專注於藝術教育事業，期間創立國立杭州藝專並出任為校長。抗日戰爭勝利後，林風眠離開國立藝專，卜居上海，在脫離教務前職後，潛心個人創作以及獨立藝術研究。其時為民末清初，在社會局勢歷經劇變的背景下，民間藝術依然蓬勃發展，林風眠遷居後以創作為本的生活稍為閒適，總愛遊走於劇場間觀賞不同戲曲表演，其涉獵劇種甚廣，包攬京劇、越劇，以至崑曲與紹興戲等。1951年，他曾在寫給學生潘其鎏的信上，分析其對創作戲曲人物的感受道：「新劇是分幕，舊戲是分場來說明故事。分幕似乎只有空間的存在，而分場似乎有時間綿延的觀念，時間和空間的矛盾，在舊戲裡很容易得到解決，像畢卡索有時解決物體，都折疊在一個平面上一樣。」由此可見藝術家在欣賞戲曲時從未停止聯想思考，不僅從舊戲取得作畫的題材，更將從中所感受領悟的，融合過往涉獵自西方立體主義的繪畫理論及表現技法，如畢加索結合存在於不同空間與時間的物像之畫風，探索時空並置的可能性，並以之表現戲劇

《火燒赤壁》的主題背景為東漢末年，曹操領軍南下荆州，孫吳聯軍合力破曹軍於赤壁之戰役 。這場膾炙人口的赤壁之戰自古以來不乏戲說及演繹，其作為歷史上以寡勝眾之典範，具有匡扶漢室，撥亂反正之要義，是極具戲劇性的一戰；當中的著名軍事戰術，以至其中的人物皆被後世傳為千古佳話。林風眠的同名畫作《火燒赤壁》正為以此戰役為題的史詩京劇呈現。

• 赤壁之戰中的奸雄曹操

• 每張臉譜的顏色、圖案、紋樣都與人物的品質、氣度等息息相關，例如紅色一般用以表示耿直忠義之角，白色則常用於為奸邪的反派角色。

• 奉命詐降於曹軍，協助周瑜獲得赤壁之戰勝利的東吳大將黃蓋

• 孫權陣營的重要統帥周瑜

• 臉譜上的橄欖形眼睛，尤其令人聯想起畢加索以拼貼概念呈現的代表之作《亞維農的少女》，當中對於少女的面部特徵刻劃以及人物重新組構的手法。

京劇的眾多視覺元素之中，當以臉譜最能體現京劇嚴謹中見靈活的特質，及其指向寫意的美學觀念。每張臉譜的顏色、圖案、紋樣都與人物的品質、氣度等息息相關，例如紅色一般用以表示耿直忠義之角，白色則常用於為奸邪的反派角色。《火燒赤壁》 中最引人注目的兩張臉譜則分別位處於畫面的上方的左右：左邊白臉黑髯的是赤壁之戰中的奸雄曹操，右邊頭戴點翠盔頭者為周瑜，其上方紅臉白鬚的則為奉命詐降於曹軍，協助周瑜獲得赤壁之戰勝利的東吳大將黃蓋。圍繞這些重要人物的四周，可見象徵人物性格勇猛、剛強，且時而陰險的藍、綠的臉譜；部分只繪半臉或單眼，有的甚至反轉呈現於畫面上，賦予畫面更強烈的戲劇性和動感。

林風眠所想要表達和描寫的，是戲劇表演的動像及連續性。他在描繪戲劇人物上，發展出一套表現時間以及敘述故事的獨特方式。《火燒赤壁》的畫面處理則為一明顯例證：藝術家設法分化劇中演員的連續動作，將曾出現於劇目表演的的角色人物結合於畫面，以原始臉譜的並置呈現，構成畫面上時空折疊的視覺效果。林風眠對於臉譜的重組配置，與電影的蒙太奇手法（montage）以及立體主義中的拼貼觀念（collage），可謂同出一轍：藝術家彷彿將眼前角色的表演動作，在腦海以慢鏡重播，再從中擷取最深刻的表情和動作畫面，去除時空限制，以京劇最具代表性的臉譜藝術拼湊出全新的視覺；在臉譜特徵的呈現手法上，更可見西方立體主義的表現手法，其中藍、綠臉譜上橄欖形的眼睛，尤其令人聯想起畢加索以拼貼概念呈現的代表之作《亞維農的少女》，當中對於少女的面部特徵刻劃以及人物重新組構的手法。

《火燒赤壁》的視覺衝擊除了來自臉譜並置於畫面的緊湊之感，更在於其鮮豔且極具表現性的濃烈色彩。畫面上的朱紅和暗紅用色極為直率粗放，強烈的紅、黑調子統合形象各異的角色臉譜，呈獻赤壁之戰中澎湃沸騰，熱鬧緊湊之氣氛。如此以顏色深化氛圍表達的手法，與野獸派所注重，以強烈大膽的視覺顏色宣洩內在情感的藝術主張可見類同：剛烈亢奮的赤色主調象徵著激烈的戰爭，粗獷率性的筆觸則猶如勁風中舞動的烈焰火舌，既像步步進逼將奸雄曹操吞噬，又似藝術家燃燒正盛的情感體現；橫跨並交錯於畫面下方的橘紅直線，展現藝術家涉獵自立體主義的幾何結構，如同京劇角色在舞台上的幾何式步法。綜合各種表現手法無不展現藝術家融會中西的巧思，整體的氣氛呈現，更如戰爭中劃破長空的弓箭和兩軍隔空的吶喊。

《火燒赤壁》採用經典斗方畫幅，然而絲毫不減躍然畫面的熱烈動態，所有視覺元素無論顏色、線條、京劇臉譜、幾何結構等，均充滿畫面的每一角落，不禁引領觀者想像角落以外的風景，猶有延伸；所呈現於畫面的，則是整場宏大戰爭之中，最精彩重要的戲劇性畫面。林風眠以一貫「方中帶圓，圓中帶方」的構圖入畫，臉譜的排列先在畫面形成一個圓形，而從排列中細觀每臉譜的刻畫，則可見吸取自立體主義風格的扭曲臉部結構。作品整體完美呈現具象與抽象的並置、東西美學的融合、傳統京劇主題以及現代立體主義的交織，盡現藝術家畢生致力秉承的藝術理念及願景，可堪珍罕經典。