Artwork Appreciation
Lin Ching-Yuan, the artist, has unique insights into capitalist society and integrates what he observes about consumer behavior into his artworks. He appropriates the compositional technique of traditional Chinese landscape painting, with the interlacing mountain peaks and meandering rivers from bottom to top all implying that the space is gradually moving back into the distance, adding depth to the overall picture. The fact that landscape painting traditionally expressed the “reclusive spirit” makes this image even more ironic, as signs touting sales and promotional activities hang above the simple little kiosks and houses. The satire is the main creative thrust to Leaning towards Tiger Mountain: even where the tiger of “capitalism” has no claws, it can use landscapes to conjure up elegant spaces that lure people in, so that as they go sightseeing, they will begin to consume and buy things without realizing it and step into the capitalist trap.