In the late 1960s, Lin Chuan-tsu continued to photograph and exhibit a large number of egrets works in the suburbs of Taichung City. With nearly two decades of experience, his mastery of photography skills and the subject of birds is evident. He shifted away from the expression of aesthetic tradition, and instead devoted himself to the pursuit of embodied emotions in the scenery, expressing feelings through the scenery and his artistic conception.
Compared to the 1950s when the his serial works of white egrets were shot at the peak of his career, Standing Alone, shot in the 1970s features the subject matter contrary to the young and middle-age preference for spreading wings and soaring birds. His works of this period appear to be calmer, more introverted and static, which can infer the change in the artist’s mental state.
The composition of this work can be associated with the ink painting of charming birds in the high branches by Bada Shanren. The composition of this work is simple, with branches in the lower left corner resembling a few brushstrokes, highlighting the momentum of the lone bird of the picture. The bird’s beak and gaze point to the sky, which enhanced the tension between the layout and the artistic conception. Lin skillfully created the imposing manner of a lone bird and the solitary branch.
Sun Wei-xuan, “2021 Compilation and Research Project of Metadata in Photography.”