Chinese opera series: Madame Snake White 

Curator: Lin Fengmian’s "Chinese Opera Series: Madame Snake White" uses acrylic on canvas to give us a very modernist interpretation of a classic Chinese folk tale. When I first saw this, I felt transported to a realm where tradition meets the avant-garde. It’s quite striking, don't you think? Editor: It is. I'm immediately struck by the way Fengmian uses geometric forms to depict these iconic figures. It's like cubism met Chinese opera, or perhaps even Kabuki theater. But what resonates is how he’s reimagining gender dynamics within a very specific cultural narrative. Curator: Absolutely. You can almost hear the clashing of cymbals, even in this silent image! Fengmian condenses the grand gestures and intricate costumes into these sharp angles and blocks of colour. And the fact that the characters are based on the tale of the Snake White, a powerful female figure in Chinese lore, is so fascinating. Editor: Precisely. Madame White Snake challenges normative constraints placed on women, her agency defying patriarchal boundaries. Look at the colors; they're not simply aesthetic, the blues, blacks, and jade hues might be reflecting the tensions between morality and desire. In terms of Chinese opera and its symbolic significance for representing social and political upheavals, how does that contribute to the storytelling? Curator: It adds another layer of complexity. The opera itself often serves as a commentary on society, and Fengmian captures that spirit. It's more than just a depiction of a story; it's a reflection on power, identity, and performance. The faces, while stylized, hold such a mysterious gaze that leaves much to interpretation. What secrets are these characters hiding, right? Editor: Right, exactly. These flattened, mask-like faces remind me of ancient Chinese masks and emphasize a distance. Fengmian invites us to contemplate not only the theatricality but also the concealed layers of identity. This interplay between visible and invisible echoes broader themes of cultural hybridity and negotiation of cultural difference, especially at a historical time when modernism was taking root in China. Curator: What resonates most is the bold approach of harmonizing elements. It bridges cultural heritage and modernism into his composition with each color stroke. Editor: I appreciate how Fengmian is creating this tension between form and the socio-political themes that reverberate. This tension keeps us engaged beyond aesthetics, encouraging us to investigate the intricate web that comprises the story.