Lin Fengmian 1900-1991

"In Farewell to His Concubine, the density of the colors is reinforced. Deep dark pigments have been applied to the costumes. The depth of field is indicated by the slight differentia between black and mahogany. The background is left blank, so that a paper-cut effect is achieved for the personas in the forefront. The playful collage of forms exerted here enables the artist to distort, deform, pyramid, and assemble the images as much as he likes, yet, in the meantime, the images remain recognizable. It can be inferred that when Lin Fengmian watched Beijing and Shaoxing operas, he must have noticed the possibility that shadow play can bring into his paintings."

                        ¡X The Approach of Lin Fengmian (China Academy of Art, 1999), p6