Lin Fengmian (林風眠) was one of the first Chinese artists to study in Europe. In 1919, he traveled to France, where he was attracted to the strong colors and semiabstract forms of the Impressionists and the Fauves. When Lin returned to China in 1926, he was appointed principal of the Beijing Art Academy, but his radical views on art alarmed conservatives. He soon left and founded an art academy in Hangzhou that became the locus for study of modern Western art in China. The reorganization of the Hangzhou Academy after the founding of the People's Republic left Lin without a post. He moved to Shanghai and from 1949 to 1977 painted in virtual isolation, stubbornly resisting a Social Realist style. During the Cultural Revolution, he was accused of spying and was jailed. In 1977, Lin was granted a leave to visit Hong Kong where he lived until his death. Early in his career, Lin abandoned oils for Chinese brush and gouache on paper in order to capture a sense of spontaneity—an intention that approached the traditional ideals of the Chinese literati painter. Here, the sweeping gestures of Lin's brushwork and the rhythmic cadences of his lines take precedence over anatomical accuracy. In “Seated Woman,” Lin cleverly presents Chinese themes and contexts in a Western manner to appeal to the tastes of European visitors in Shanghai and Hong Kong, who bought his art. The artwork depicts a young East Asian woman, seated with her legs tucked beneath her, in a contemplative pose. She's centrally positioned against a richly textured background. She has dark hair neatly pulled back and styled with a small, dark band at the top. Her face is serene and slightly downcast. Her skin tone is light. She's dressed in a dark-brown long-sleeved traditional robe, over a lighter-colored undergarment visible at the neck. A flowing blue-teal shawl drapes around her lower body and legs. Her hands are gently clasped in her lap, holding what appears to be a small, white flower or blossom.
仕女 (Seated Woman by 林風眠 / Lin Fengmian (Chinese) - Ink and color on paper (hanging scroll) / Late 1970s - Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York) #WomenInArt #art #ChineseArt #womensart #ChineseArtist #林風眠 #LinFengmian #theMET #ChineseScroll #artwork #ArtText #HangingScroll #MetropolitanMuseumofArt
