While pleased at the positive reception, Wang also felt a sense of loss, and wished that he might have kept some for himself. This attachment to his paintings, and a sense of insecurity born of wartime chaos, have never left Wang. Ever since that first show, he has been reluctant to exhibit or sell his works.
驚喜中的王攀元卻又有深深的不捨，「怎麼沒留下一點作品給自己」，這樣的遺憾，與來自戰亂的不安全感，形成了王攀元日後藏畫與惜畫的情結。