Forever fascinated by realism, Yang believes that pre-20th-century European painters were seeking to create the kind of "highly effective illusion" capable of deceiving viewers that Yang himself now pursues.
一直對「寫實」深為著迷的他認為，在一張白紙上造成觀賞者的錯覺，這一種「高層次的欺騙行為」，是 20 世紀以前歐美畫家所追求的，也是他現在所追求的藝境。