Sunny and Cloudy in Four Seasons

      It is said that Su Shi from the Song Dynasty used a red brush with red pigment to draw bamboo. Mo Yunqing from Ming Dynasty wrote in his article "Su Shi from Song Dynasty drew red bamboo", "Red bamboo was first created by Su Shi, he used a red brush when he used up the regular ink during the examination. The idea was very unique and was fully accepted thereafter." In fact, many things are often surprising when they first appear. They are then considered as ordinary when they become more popular in time. For instance, the ink flower painting has been very common at later ages even though it was still a pioneering idea to depict a flower with ink back to Northern Song Dynasty. Su Shi once strongly praised a Henan Kaifeng painter Yin Bai's ink peony painting in his article "Ink Flower", "many painters use ink to depict landscapes, bamboo, stones, and figures, while no one has used ink to paint a flower yet." As far as we can see, there are old ancient theoretical frameworks as well as up- to-date styles and techniques during artistic creation. Both are indispensable. Only in this way, there would be continuous innovation and development regarding artistic creation.

       Lotus grows in late spring and early summer and it blooms in midsummer. Lotus flowers fall and leaves wither in autumn. Only lotus roots can hide under the deep soil and grow again in the following year. I love the swaying charm of the lotus and enjoy very much the scene of a pond full of lotuses. It is a pleasant thing to rest in the pavilion beside a lotus pond and view the endless green ocean during the hot summer. It feels like a gentle breeze with green fragrance sweeping over me. However, this beautiful scene is short-lived, and I am very eager to use the brush to keep the memory of the beauty of the lotus ponds. "To create a new spirit beyond the heaven and earth." (quotation from Fang Shishu’s “Jottings of Tian Yong Hut”) In order to create this wonderful feeling flowing in life, I have a series of works reflecting the changes of four seasons in lotus pond.

       In this series, some of the works are more realistic such as portraying peaceful sunny days of summer at lotus ponds, the desolate withering of late autumn, as well as the intense cold of winter. However, I would try to use my painting brush to infuse the lotus pond with the breath of life, full of vitality no matter which season. For some of other works, I deliberately emphasize the beauty of lotus ponds and break the seasonality of the lotus’ growth. Overall, I intend to add some seasonal change elements such as variations in tone and moisture without showing reality in a rigid way. Instead, I would prefer to follow the feeling of my heart to show the beauty of lotus ponds in all four seasons.