This colored ink piece, entitled “Boats”, was created by Lin Fengmian after he settled in Hong Kong in the late 1970s. A collector who adored Lin’s works especially asked Shiy De-jinn to purchase the piece during one of his visits to his teacher in Hong Kong. The collector went on to treasure this work for more than thirty years after he obtained it in 1979.

In the eyes of their friends, Lin and Shiy shared a father-son relationship. After thirty years of separation, their reunion was like an encounter between two noble souls. They appreciated each other’s talents deeply. Lin had devoted his life to the innovation of Chinese painting, and Shiy also regarded himself as one who carried on this task. In his journal, Shiy praises Lin’s colored ink paintings thusly: “The content is so rich and abundant that it shows a more delicate gradation of color, while the exquisite change of tones brings the effect of rice paper to a deeper level. A powerful force is immersed in the colors. By using his brush to layer techniques onto the paper, the artist ingeniously overcame innumerable obstacles. The picture is neither dirty nor damaged. The watercolor is saturated with oil paint in such a way that perfectly demonstrates the middle ground between transparency and opaqueness. The mix between color and ink is harmonious, and the flavor exuded from the picture is moist, thick, bright, and elegant.” (Shiy De-jinn, edited by Cheng Hui-mei, The Lonely Eagle—Anthology of Shiy De-jinn’s Journals from the 1970s to the 1980s, UNITAS Publishing Co., Taipei, 2003, pp. 84-85)

Shiy used the phrases “luxuriously green” and “resplendent and magnificent” to describe Lin’s landscapes. This piece, “Boats”, was inspired by the artist’s life experience. Being simple and free, he wielded his brush in such a way as to make strokes that exude a sense of speed while conjuring up imposing lines that display a striking, beautiful view.