Pan Yuliang (1895-1977)
Lady Brushing Her Hair(Painted in 1948)
Oil on canvas
65.5 × 54 cm. 25 3/4 × 21 1/4 in.
Signed in Chinese and date on upper right
Peerless Elegance, Unique Beauty
1940s Oil Painting with Rare Motif by Pan Yuliang――Lady Brushing Her Hair
“Exploring beauty in creation from extremes, what the past 300 years of literati painting could not do ... the heroine Madame Pan Yuliang now has achieved.”
――Xu Beihong
In 1921, Pan Yuliang (1895-1977) left China to study overseas, the first woman among the many Chinese artists in that period to study art in France. She returned to take up a teaching position in 1928, but went back to France in 1937 to undertake advanced studies and remained there for four decades, until her death in 1977. Through her self-confidence and industrious spirit Pan lived a life that was a testament to the free spirit of Chinese women, experiencing countless “firsts”. For example, she was among the first group of female students to pass the entrance examination for Shanghai Fine Arts School, the first Asian to gain admission to Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, the first female Chinese painter to be nominated at the Italian National Art Exhibition, the first female artist to hold a solo oil painting exhibition in modern China and the first Chinese artist to have a work collected by the Louvre Museum. Throughout her life, Pan won 21 awards and her works were shown at renowned art salon exhibitions and national museums on 47 occasions. British art historian Michael Sullivan praised her as “a top class Chinese Western style painter” and Xu Beihong went as far as to call her a “national heroine.” Pan Yuliang was a true female hero who left the spirit of her painting for the world, a woman of exceptional ability who continues to influence the art world even today.
Golden Age – the Only ‘Lady Brushing Her Hair' Oil Painting
In December 1941, Pan Zanhua, a customs official in Wuhu, Anhui, wrote to his wife Pan Yuliang: “Work hard, your future is bright, real, worthy and honourable.” In 1937, the female artist had left her hometown and arrived in Paris where she began her tireless pursuit of art. It was in the 1940s that Pan reached the first creative peak in her artistic career, tirelessly painting self portraits and female nudes that reflected her self-determination. In 1945, Pan received the French National Gold Image Award and in the same year the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) held a major exhibition titled “International Exhibition of Modern Art” at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, at which Pan's work was displayed. At the same time, domestic and foreign media began to report on her art, with the US China Tribune dubbing her a member of the “artistic elite” and an “admirable artist,” while a reporter from the Shanghai Shun Pao travelled to France to interview Pan in her Paris studio. She also welcomed an endless stream of visitors and other artists, who took pictures in front of the horizontal board inscribed with the name “Pan Yuliang” hung from the door to her apartment as a memento. As such, it is not difficult to imagine how well known Pan was among the Chinese community in Paris at that time. In 1948, the Republic of China embassy in Paris held an exhibition of works by four Chinese artists living in France - Pan Yuliang, Sanyu, Zao Wou-Ki and Xiao Lingzhuo, that was well received by art critics. Pan demonstrated that she was every bit as talented and capable as her male colleagues and in so doing showcased the aesthetics and grace of Asian women.
The work Lady Brushing Her Hair is an excellent example of Pan Yuliang's oil painting work from the 1940s. It was completed in 1948, a time when her reputation was on the rise and she was being widely praised. It is noticeable that in this work Pan dressed the semi nude Asian female figure in a red robe, as a symbol of her identity as a Chinese female painter far from home, but also to extol feminine beauty. Indeed her exceptional female nudes were highly sought after artistic classics.
If we review Pan's paintings throughout her artistic career, Lady Brushing Her Hair is the only one among 400 existing oil painting works with its motif of a woman brushing her hair, making it a rarity. However, the artist clearly had a soft spot for this theme as she also used it in seven collected coloured ink on paper works produced in the 1950s and 1960s, six of which are held by Anhui Provincial Museum, while the other is in the National Art Museum of China collection. As the only work with this motif that has come onto the market and the only oil painting, Lady Brushing Her Hair is a high quality classic and a worthy addition to any collection.
Female Nudes: Moving and Glorious, Imbued with Self Confidence and Self Presence
Female nude oil paintings feature prominently throughout the creative career of Pan Yuliang. In 1920, she gained admission to Shanghai Fine Arts School, where school Principal Liu Haisu was a key proponent of reform, including equality in educational opportunities for men and women. He also invited naked female models to sit for classes on how to paint nudes, in 1917 held a public student nude painting exhibition and in 1920 hired a Russian woman as a full-time model. Although officials strongly opposed Liu's moves, his outlook planted a seed in the mind of Pan Yuliang. Thereafter, her observations of female nudes were used to understand herself and engage in self reflection, which she then applied to the nudes she painted. In this way, Pan gave voice to natural female beauty, her free yearning and expressiveness marking a break with tradition. Against this backdrop, the artist's female nudes became symbols imbued with implied meaning and her ultimate pursuit.
In 1922, Pan was part of the first group of publicly-funded Chinese students to arrive in France and went on to study at École Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon, École Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Paris and Accademia di Belle Arti, Rome. In 1927, at the age of 32, she painted her first “female nude” and received a gold medal at the Italian National Art Exhibition. At that time, the Chinese art world still considered nudes to be taboo, so Pan Yuliang's outstanding expression in the genre placed her firmly at the forefront of Chinese and Western modern art.
Although there were a large number of female nude sketches in the 1930s, it was not until the late 1930s that Pan painted female nude oil painting and only 90 such works are known to exist. Initially, she referenced the female nudes produced by painting masters from the Impressionist and Fauvist schools and her works often focused on Western women. However, in the late 1940s as Pan searched for a reflection of herself in the ancients, she produced many depictions of Chinese women, while also adding Eastern features that imbued the female nudes in the paintings with a unique elegance. Of the 48 Eastern female nude and semi-nude oil paintings by Pan, the use of Chinese traditional clothing, curtains, towels or hair in a bun became signifiers as to the status of the figures depicted and highlights of the pieces. Lady Brushing Her Hair was completed in 1948 and is an excellent example of this genre. The black haired woman in the painting wears an embroidered red robe that highlights the peerless elegance of Eastern women, while the half-covered nude also speaks to the real beauty of the female form, exuding a sense of self-confidence and self-presence. The woman is physically stocky and supple, not the aesthetically slim, gentle and graceful female archetype usually portrayed, moreover this depiction of a larger woman imbued with a sense of power became a common reference point in the paintings of Pan Yuliang. In this work, the artist used straightforward “Yuliang iron wire” lines to create the transfer and interchange of the female body, using big brush strokes to showcase the blooming beauty inherent in the woman's self-confidence marked by softness and fortitude, conveying an instantly unforgettable unique demeanour of calm steadfastness.
The Self-Contentment and Natural Beauty of Lady Brushing Her Hair
In this work, Pan Yuliang employed tightly interwoven Chinese ink painting outline drawing to depict a woman who has just bathed. The slightly elongated body and magnified physical proportions ensure the focus is firmly on the figure's posture. However, Pan did not rigorously adhere to the body construct or formal depiction of women at that time, preferring instead to highlight the stable triangular composition, with the woman presented as relaxed and unhurried, as Pan showcased the romantic charm of the scene. The figure sits with her legs under her body one arm elevated the other lower down as she brushes her long hair, creating a richly dynamic scene. Moreover, through the tension created by the twists and turns of the lines the female body is imbued with a powerful existentialist sense. The solid black lines create a clear and pronounced image, while the woman's black hair is a combination of sonorous rough brushstrokes and compact understated fine detail, highlighting its supple texture. The circular patterns on the robe, the arched lines of the sleeve openings and the loose external lines of the robe, are all contrasted against the mellowness and plumpness of the female form to draw attention to its soft and gentle side. As the woman's hair cascades downwards, the lapel of the robe introduces a lengthwise visual feel as she brushes her hair with her right hand, an intriguing combination of hard and soft that speaks to a deeper inner world.
The work takes the act of a woman brushing her hair as a way of accessing female emotions. It is also replete with ancient poetry and an important scene from every day life that serves as a synonym for a single woman. For example, Ballad of Mulan speaks of the main character “brushing her hair in the window,” and in Wuling Spring written by renowned Song Dynasty female poet Li Qingzhao (1084-1155) she depicted a woman “getting up late and being too tired to brush her hair.” Moreover, in the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317-420) Gu Kaizhi's Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies includes a scene of a woman brushing her hair, highlighting the fact that as part of the advocacy of female virtue fine ladies were expected to wear their hair up. However, in the works of Pan Yuliang, the poetic beauty of “a woman brushing her hair” focuses much more on lyrical expression detailing the real world life of women rather than a formal presentation. In this painting, the woman's loosely hanging un-brushed jet black hair together with her relaxed phoenix eyes are a testament to the relaxed emotional state of the protagonist, as she rigorously brushes her hair without any pretensions, elegant and keen, freed from the constraints placed on women by traditional etiquette. In addition, the liberation of the hair and exposure of the body are also allusions to the human spirit breaking free and free thinking. As aesthete Chiang Hsun has said: “The works of Pan Yuliang in which the female body is the subject are all seemingly allusions to ‘self portraiture'.” In other words, the figures depicted are essentially self-referential. Living in the 1920s, at a time when female consciousness was awakening, Pan used her works as a declaration of independence, fearlessly revealing her true self and resolutely depicting her own independent carefree character.
Blooming Multiflora Rose – Red Attire Telling a Tale
“In the eyes of a painter, colour is an artistic sensation. When observing a subject one cannot remain with her original colour, there has to be crafting, focus on expression, imbued with rich imagination, so it has the power to move others.”
―― Pan Yuliang
Pan was also adept at using colour to establish powerful expressions and highlight the bearing and emotions of the figure depicted. For example, the artist dressed many of her female nudes in red or used red decorations as her signature use of colour expression, in what can perhaps best be characterized as an Eastern expressive feature. In Lady Brushing Her Hair, Pan employed red as a special expressive colour that speaks to the sentiment and life energy of the individual. Indeed, the figure in the painting is covered by a loose fitting fire-red robe, like a bright red rose in full bloom imbued with the colour of life.
The style of red clothing in the painting is taken from a fashion popular in the Song and Han dynasties, the edges of the garment decorated with a simple circular pattern. For Pan Yuliang, who from a young age loved to embroider and adored traditional floral patterns, ancient costumes, folk motifs and the auspicious colour red encapsulated Eastern beauty, while also representing her Asian identity. In Lady Brushing Her Hair, Pan boldly combined and contrasted red and green, creating a clear contrast between the two colours through an eye-catching colour language that is rich in classical beauty and imbued with a sprightly expressive feel. The Pointillist approach makes use of the light colour technique of the Impressionist School, with bright pure colours embodying the figure depicted and rich layering utilized to highlight her radiant and enchanting character. In this way, the symbolic meaning of colour is used to reveal the self-confidence and fearless determination of Eastern women.
Fusing East and West, a Distinctive Painting Spirit Imbued with True Feeling
This painting is also an excellent example of how Pan Yuliang was able to adapt her attainments in ink painting aesthetics to the genre of Western oil painting. As such, she adds diluted red pigment to the beige hues of the woman's cheeks, neck, knees, face and feet, in a way that is akin to the rendering effect of ink painting. In this way, the red of the clothes gradually transfers to her skin, contrasting its sense of brightness with the natural light. Together with the overlapping oil painting brush strokes, Pan constructed a spatial layering that gives the floor and background a depth of field, so the woman is shrouded in warm light and fully revealed. It is within these contrasting colours that Pan Yuliang achieves her artistic ideal – the fusion of East and West.
潘玉良 (1895-1977)
梳妝(一九四八年作)
油彩 畫布
65.5 × 54 cm. 25 3/4 × 21 1/4 in.
款識
玉良48（右上）
絕世風華，瑰麗無雙
潘玉良40年代珍稀主題油畫《梳妝》
「夫窮奇履險，以探尋造物之至美，乃三百年來作畫之士大夫所決不能者也……士夫無得，而得巾幗英雄潘玉良夫人。」
――徐悲鴻
自1921年出國求學至1928年回國任教，她是早期留法藝術家中當之無愧的第一女大師。而自1937年再度赴法深究直至1977年病逝， 40年玉汝於成的芳菲歲月中，她將自己磨練為一塊良玉大器，以自信和無畏的精神一路奮勇向前，在20世紀現代主義藝術的浪潮中臻至「合中西於一冶」動人心魄的成就，書寫中國女性在時代中的自由之魂。在她的一生中，創造了無數個「第一」：她是第一批考入上海美專的女學生，是第一個考取羅馬美術學院的東方人、第一位入選義大利國家展會的中國女畫家，近代中國第一位舉辦個人油畫展的女藝術家，第一位作品獲盧浮宮典藏的中國藝術家⋯⋯其一生於海內外獲獎21次，作品曾發表於著名沙龍展和國家美術館47次。英國藝術史學家蘇立文（Michael Sullivan）曾讚譽她為「中國西洋畫家中的第一流人物」，而徐悲鴻更直呼她作「巾幗英雄」，而她，便是留畫魂於人間、風華迴響至今的女中豪傑――潘玉良！
黃金時代，唯一「梳妝」主題至臻油畫
1941年12月，任安徽蕪湖海關的潘贊化在給妻子潘玉良的信中寫到：「妳努力吧。妳的前途是光明的，是真實的，是不虛的，是榮譽的。我又何等僥倖助此成功之人成功。」1937年闊別故鄉來到巴黎的潘玉良，全方位地開展關乎自我藝術的不懈追求，於40年代進入人生第一個創作黃金時期。在此間，投射著自我意志的自畫像、裸女畫成為她筆耕不輟的代表，憑藉《自畫像》（1945）、《女人體》（1947）等作品，她多次參與「獨立藝術家協會沙龍」、「秋季沙龍」畫展，1945年，更榮獲「法國國家金質獎章」，在該年聯合國教科文組織在巴黎東京宮舉辦的重大展事「現代藝術國際展覽會」中，其作品榮獲展出。與此同時，身為「中國留法藝術協會」會長的潘玉良，在藝術界的影響力、所受的認可甚鉅，海內外多方媒體均曾對其人其作加以報道，如美國《華美日報》譽其為「藝術精英」、是「令人敬仰的藝術家」，上海《申報》記者曾特約前往潘玉良在巴黎的畫室採訪，此外更有絡繹不絕的訪客及藝術同流在其門口寫有「潘玉良」三字的匾額前留念，不難想像彼時她在巴黎的華人圈中的知名度。而在1948年，中國駐法大使館為潘玉良、常玉、趙無極和蕭淩卓四位留法藝術家舉辦展覽，獲眾多藝評家高度讚賞，而其中潘玉良以巾幗不讓鬚眉的高雅姿態，於異鄉書寫著東方女性的美學風華。
作為潘玉良40年代油畫創作黃金時期的至臻代表，是次拍賣的《梳妝》完成於其聲名鵲起、飽獲讚譽的1948年。對於身處異鄉的潘氏而言，此件作品特以著紅衣的東方女子半裸入畫，不僅承載其中國女性畫家的身份象徵，傳遞對女性美的至高歌頌，裸女主題更是其非凡、備受追捧的藝術經典。
而若探究其畢生創作，《梳妝》更為藝術家不足400件存世油畫中， 唯一僅有的一件「梳妝」主題之作，可謂珍絕難得，罕中之罕。潘玉良對此題材情有獨鍾，有關梳妝的描繪除此油畫外，可見於其50至60年代唯7件彩墨紙上創作，當中6件已由安徽省博物館、1件由中國美術館典藏。作為唯一可流通於市埸的該主題作品，並為當中唯一的油畫之作，《梳妝》的代表性及重要性，不喻自言！作品除見證了潘玉良黃金時代的自信之筆，並從香港佳士得成立20年中所經手的數萬件拍品中脫穎而出，被收錄於其「20週年紀念畫冊」，不啻為經典中的經典、收藏珍粹之選。
女體畫之路：自信與自我的動人華光
「我的一生，是中國女人為愛和理念爭取女人自信的一生。」
―― 潘玉良
自1918年考取劉海粟創辦的上海美專，直至在巴黎大放異彩的40年代，以30年藝術積澱而輝現的《梳妝》，足以見證潘玉良一路走來裸女主題繪畫的大膽特出，在異鄉書寫中國女性「愛與理念」的攝人氣概。此件半裸女畫作，以「一襲紅袍半露真我」之姿，將潘氏的「自信」和「自我」之寫融為一體，紅衣為外是為美的表徵，身軀在裡則為美的內在，為其展露個人與藝術雙重志向的豐碑手筆！
回顧潘玉良一生的創作，裸女油畫為極其重要的一環，幾近貫穿其創作的始終。若回到時代的起點，我們便可見一位青樓婢女出身、破除萬難求學的東方女性，是如何以自身的美學底蘊和獨樹一幟的表現力，在巴黎藝壇闖出獨我的天地。1920年，潘玉良作為上海美專首十九名女學生的一員，師從王濟遠、朱屺瞻學習油畫與國畫。當時的美專校長劉海粟革舊維新，秉持「發展東方固有的藝術，研究西方藝術的蘊奧」思想，在倡導男女平等求學的同時，更聘請裸女模特、教授人體繪畫，先於1917年公開舉行了人體寫生成績展覽會，後於1920年招聘俄籍女子為專職模特，一連串大膽的行徑雖遭到官方的強烈抵制，卻在彼時勤奮求學的潘玉良心中，種下一顆種子，讓她透過觀察女體，正視、了解、省思自我，透過繪畫女體，抒發心中對於自然的女性美、打破傳統、破除藩籬的自由嚮往及表達。女體自此成為意在言外的象徵及終極追求。
1922年，她做為第一批官費留學生抵法，先後入里昂國立美術專科學校、巴黎高等美術學院、義大利羅馬國立美術學院就讀，同步發展繪畫、雕塑創作。1927年，年僅32歲的潘玉良憑藉一幅《裸女》，在義大利國家美術展覽中一舉奪得金獎，在當時的華人藝術界被視為極大的成就，對於彼時仍將裸體畫視為禁忌的中國畫壇，潘玉良在女體畫上的突出表現已令她走在中西現代藝術的前沿。如上海《生活週刊》即報導：「中國女畫家的作品夠得上在那裡陳列，以玉良為第一人，真可以算國際的光榮。」
縱然她已有大量裸女速寫作品在30年代誕生，然而直至30年代末，潘玉良才方開啟其裸女題材的油畫表達，在其畢生不逾400件的油畫作品中，裸女占了90幅，足見她對該主題的深入探索。而至40年代，她正式步入裸女油畫創作的黃金時期。對於再次來到巴黎的潘玉良而言，如何樹立個人的藝術特色成為其重要課題，早期她多以印象派、野獸派大師的裸女之作為參考，並逐步向內融入東方用筆的婉約靈動，其裸女畫創作中亦常見西方女性的身影。然而，直到步入40年代後期，「於古人中求我」的精神，甫成為其篤志，她轉以大量描繪中國女性，視軀體為美的自信之言，大膽傳遞著新時代的精神。同時，在該階段創作中她加入鮮明的東方特點，為畫中的裸女增添獨特的優雅神采。可考的48件東方裸女與半裸女油畫中，具中國傳統特色的衣飾、布簾、浴巾、髮髻成為畫中人身份的指涉，更為其創作的亮點。而完成於1948年的《梳妝》一作，即為箇中代表。畫中的黑髮女子身著繡花紅袍，高度凸顯了東方女性的絕代風華，半掩的裸體則訴說著真實的女體之美。她的軀體敦實、柔韌，並非傳統中式審美中窈窕的纖弱淑女，而是潘氏畫風中，獨具力量感的大女子風範。其四肢飽滿，若頂天立地，獨居一處。當中藝術家以「玉良鐵線」的率直線條塑造著形體的轉接與交匯，透過大筆揮灑將人物柔和與剛毅的雙重自信之美渾然綻放，傳遞出沉著堅定的獨特神采，令人過目難忘。
梳妝自得天成美：剛柔並濟，思想的解放與自由
「梳妝這些作品應是潘玉良最好的作品。」
――美學家蔣勳
藝評家賈方舟曾指出：「在20世紀以來的中國畫中，還沒有一個畫家像潘玉良那樣持久地、一而再地以女人體的方式展開她的經驗敘事。」表達女性的生活與生命情態，是潘玉良繪畫中的重要主題，其筆下的女子，千姿萬態，訴說著自我的生命之語，記錄著二十世紀女權解放時代中來自巾幗女性的先鋒話語。此件《梳妝》，便為其具生活敘事主題的重要創作，以女子「顧影梳妝」的姿態流露出濃重的中國詩情，並藉半裸身姿的從容開放，造就氣度大方的女性形象，展現渾然天成的自在之美。
在此作中，潘玉良以緊勁連綿的白描之筆，刻畫一位浴後的女子，以略為拉長和放大的身體比例，充分聚焦於人物的身姿，她不拘泥於形體的構成和正襟危坐的範式，在呈三角型穩定紮實的造型之上，以舒坦從容之態，追求對神韻的抒寫。畫中人如同一朵嫻靜的出水芙蓉，雙腿向後屈坐，身披紅色睡袍，兩手一上一下，似正側頭梳理著如雲的長髮，極富動態感。線條在此發揮由整體到局部的引導作用，女子的身體在線條周折的張力中構成強烈的存在感，黑實有力的線條令人物形象鮮明突出，在黑髮處，則落為鏗鏘粗筆和綿密淡描的細膩融合，展現柔順而蓬鬆的質感。而圈形紋路、袖口弧圈、寬鬆的衣袍外圍，皆與人物肉體的圓潤飽滿構成呼應，呈現柔和的一面，此外，如瀑的髮絲垂直而下，與梳髮中的右手、衣襟形成縱向的視覺感受，在剛柔並濟間，訴說著人物更為深刻的內在世界。
作品取「梳妝」一事切入女性情感，充滿古典詩情，如北朝民歌《木蘭辭》中「當窗理雲鬢，對鏡貼花黃」的閨中情景、唐代詩人溫庭筠的「梳洗罷，獨倚望江樓」的思緒、宋代才女李清照的名篇《武陵春》「日晚倦梳頭」。梳妝，作為生活起居的重要一環，儼然成為獨屬於女性的代名詞。東晉顧愷之《女史箴圖》中的「梳妝」圖，展現女子正高高梳起的髮束，以「修容飾性」作為「女德」的倡導。然而在潘玉良筆下，「梳妝」的詩意之美，有了更多關乎女性自我生命的抒寫表達。如在此《梳妝》一作中，披散的烏髮雲鬢、舒展的黛眉鳳眼，無不訴說主人公自適的情感狀態，她一絲不苟的梳理秀髮，不顯任何扭捏作態，大方自若，自在而自信，優雅而敏銳，打破傳統禮教上對女性的束縛。而藉由髮絲的解放、身體的裸露，暗示著靈魂的解脫、思想的自由！
而誠如蔣勳所言：「潘玉良以女體做對象的作品，似乎都有一種『自畫像』的隱喻」作品中的主角正如潘玉良對自我的指涉一般，身處在二十世紀女性意識甦醒的時代，她以此作為獨立宣言。她將真我無畏地吐露在畫卷之上，在東方女性獨有的風情中，堅毅地書寫著天性的渾然與獨立的自在人格。
盛放的薔薇，一襲紅衣盡風華
「畫家眼中的色彩是一種藝術感覺，觀察對象不能停留在她的固有色上，要有塑造，注意表現，富於想象，使它達到感染人的力量。」
――潘玉良
而受野獸派鮮亮用色的啟發，潘玉良在貫通筆意的線條外，更以色彩建立強烈的表現性，以此彰顯畫中人的氣度和情感。在其眾多女體作品中，紅色的穿著、裝飾是她最為經典的用色表達，如《紅衣自畫像》、《撫頭女人體》（1954）、《著紅衣女人體》（1958）、《讀書的女人》（1961）中頻繁現身的紅袍、紅浴巾、坐墊等，均突顯了紅彩在此不僅僅是表面的色彩，更作為一種東方特徵的表達。是次呈現《梳妝》亦可見其以這獨我之色，煥然而現濃烈芬芳的情感和個體的生命力量，畫中之人在火紅寬袍的籠罩下，如鮮紅的薔薇花般怒放生命的色彩，若宣告「休言女子非英物，一襲紅衣盡風華」的氣度。
當中紅衣造型取自宋、明時期流行的直領褙子衫，簡樸的圈狀紋作為衣邊修飾，對於自小喜愛剌繡、熱衷傳統紋飾的潘玉良而言，傳統古裝、民間紋飾以及富有吉祥寓意的紅彩皆是東方美的凝縮，亦代表她來自東方的身份。在《梳妝》中，她大膽地結合紅綠對比色彩，令綠彩的張揚與躍動的正紅形成鮮明映襯，奪目強烈的色彩語言既富古典底蘊美，又具明快色彩的表現感。當中點彩平塗的方式吸納了印象派的光色技法，以鮮明的純色塑造人物的底韻，透過豐富的層次堆疊，彰顯畫中人明媚的性格特點，並在色彩的象徵意味中，展露東方女性的自我不屈、自信、大無畏的意志。
合中西於一冶，獨留畫魂見丹青
除此之外，在此畫中可見潘玉良將水墨的美學造詣融入油彩，在人物身體的米黃色調中，她將稀釋的紅顏料融入女子的臉頰、脖頸、膝蓋與雙腳，如同發揮水墨的暈染之效，自紅色衣袍漸而渡染其肌膚，襯顯出自然光澤下的亮麗感。伴隨復疊的油彩筆觸，建構地板和背景具景深感的空間層次，畫中女子如蒙光暈籠罩，神采畢現，在色彩的呼應比照中，達到其所追求的「合中西於一冶」的藝術理想。
而那如紅色薔薇的身影，如自寫般訴說著不屈的靈魂，在那動人的畫幅上，便足以看見潘玉良的鏗鏘意志，她以「畫人」的藝術造詣，展現「畫我」的自省姿態，在「畫魂」之筆中，娓娓道出20世紀東方獨立女性的瑰麗無雙之美！
