Lin’s Lady by a Vase and Lady Playing Pipa shows the influence of two artists that Lin encountered in Paris: Henri Matisse and Amadeo Modigliani. Matisse’s numerous paintings of ladies in interiors—with their sensitive brushwork and decorative motifs—must have enchanted Lin. The mask like features of Modigliani’s portraits, derived from Etruscan carvings, clearly had an impact as well. The square format of Lady by a Vase and Lady Playing Pipa, which puzzled some Asian viewers accustomed to the horizontal and vertica𒊎l expanses of paintings on scrolls,♊ had once been popular during the Song dynasty (960–1279).

In the many paintings Lin did of Chinese Opera he used figures to compose dynamic, colorful paintings that feature visual rhythms and shallow spaces that show the influence of Cubism. Semi-transparent areas of fabric show that Lin was understood the technical possibilities of oil paint while the fluidity of his brushwork connects to the artist’s early training in calligraphy and ink painting. The paintings exude a freshness that Lin was able to achieve by hybridizing influences and methods. The bold colors of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, including blues and yellows made possible by new pigments developed in the late 19th century, are an imp♊ortant part of Lin’s aesthetic.

The high horizon line and all-over composition of Lin’s Lotus Pond at Dusk brings to mind Claude Monet’s numerous canvases of water lilies. Monet painted more than 250 Nymphéas (Water Lilies), some of which Lin must have seen in Paris. Like Monet’s Nymphéas Lin’s painting uses the lotus as a motif to explore the variations in colour and light made possible by floating forms. The tall, calligraphic sꦦilhouettes of swaying reeds, which form a band at the top of Lin’s composition, are set 💎off by softly brushed banks of clouds.

The stormy sea that appears in Lin’s Cormorants by the Fishing Boats demonstrates his interest in the realistic depiction of weather, a favorite subject of the French Imp🥃ressionists. Adapting oil painting techniques to depict rhythmic rows of translucent waves in pastel, Lin creates a turbulent mood set off by a looming grey clouds. The play of light between the somber shades of blue and grey of the water and the sky creates a sense of distance and depth.

The sensitively brushed flowers in Lin’s Vase of Flowers express the quiet, contemplative aspect of the artist’s nature. Lit from behind by a halo of yellow and tilted slightly towards the viewer, the Vase of Flowers feels modern while also emanating Taoist virtues including a certain refined simplicity. Like the floral paintings of the French artist Henri Fantin-Latour, Lin’s Vase of Flowers can be viewed as a kind of 💎portrai🌜t of the artist’s mood and inner life.

Viewing Lin Fengmian’s ink paintings offers an understanding of the roots of his art in traditional Chinese painting. Geese Flying Over Reed Pond, which has a monochromatic palette of white, grey and black, uses calligraphic brushwork to depict flying geese and reeds bending in the wind as well as a European style scumble (rough brushwork) effect in the clouds. The scene was inspired by both the great Tang dynasty poet Du Fu's "A Long Climb" and the artist’s own memories of West Lake, Hangzhou.

Lin Fengmian loved painting birds, which reminded him of his childhood memories of playing in the forest, connected with nature. Blackbirds, often placed on large branches, are common in Lin’s works. The Three Musketeers is a rare work because of its blank background and striking contrasts of dark and light. Drawn with swift, energetic strokes the birds suggest innocence and camaraderie. Interestingly, the work may allude to Zao Wou-Ki, Chu Teh-Chun, and Wu Guanzhong, three students of Lin Fengmian who are often referred to as “The Three Musketeers of Chinese Modern Art.” Like Lin Fengmian, these great artists all were influenced by their exposure to Paris and European modern art.