Residence of Gentleman

      The lotus is regarded as the flower of the gentleman, which originated from Zhou Dunyi's famous poem "Ode to the Lotus" in the Song Dynasty, "I only like the lotus because it comes out of the mud and does not become stained. It is clear and clean but not demonic. Its stem runs through the middle and has a straight shape. It does not grow vines or branches. Its aroma spreads more fragrant. It is clean and stands straight in the water. It can be viewed from a distance but cannot be played with profanities. I think the chrysanthemum is a hermit among flowers; the peony is a rich and noble flower; the lotus is a gentleman among flowers." Lotus is noble and self-sufficient, proud and independent. It has the character of a gentleman. "Unimpeded inside" it means no pain of depression. "Outwardly straight" means people can achieve the realm of righteousness and awe-inspiring only when they have no worldly desires. "Fragrance is far and clear" symbolizes the virtue of a gentleman, such as the fragrance of flowers spreading far and wide, and affects people.

        The etiquette of a gentleman has been recorded in the pre-Qin period. In "The Book of Songs", jade is used as a symbol of a gentleman, "Mr. elegant is a real gentleman, with beautiful jade hanging around his ears and the jewel inlaid cap shining like a star." A gentleman is as gentle as jade, and his good virtues are like jade ornaments, which make people shine. In this series, the gentleman's posture of the lotus is shown. There is not only the fragrant beauty of "Lotus with a smile and the fragrant wind" (Shen Ying's "Painting Spring (Lotus in the Wind)"), but also the softness and color of "The lotus root is as white as jade and snow, with delicate and transparent apertures in the middle, which is exquisite and lovely. Its green leaves and red flowers spread over the water and are set off against each other." (Wu Shidao's "Lotus Root, Flower and Leaves") The light and elegant tones of the watercolor painting render the freshness and pleasantness of the lotus pond. The flowing colors interweave into a dreamlike lotus pond, with fields of lotus leaves and fragrant flowers. Like a gentleman, the lotus is independent and full of virtue.

        Watercolor painting belongs to the category of Western painting. It is a kind of "representation" art. The painter uses pigments to depict nature, uses colors to express light and shadow, and uses texture to express structure. While Chinese painting is the art of "expression", traditional Chinese painting emphasizes "depicting spirit with form". It pursues a feeling of "wonderful between likeness and dissimilarity". It emphasizes that the interest of brush and ink is the inner monologue of the painter. To me, the lotus pond is a faithful friend. She generously shares the refreshing summer with me and listens to my inner monologue. I want to interpret the lotus pond in a new way, which is not only a "reappearance" of nature, but also a "performance" based on my emotions. It integrates China and the West, running through ancient and modern times. As Zhang Ruoxu sighed in "Spring River, Flowers and Moon Night", "People would still come and go after generations. The river and the moon look the same year after year." The lotus pond seen today, just like the lotus pond seen by the ancients thousands of years ago, is full of eternal vitality. The unique style of watercolor painting and the virtue of gentleman in Chinese traditional culture are integrated into the picture, writing a new chapter of the summer lotus pond.