The Ultimate Joy of Inaction

Zhuang Zi, a great thinker of the mid-Warring States, said, “The Perfect man has no (thought of) self; the spiritual man, none of merit; the wise man, none of fame.” The so-called “no self, no merit, and no fame” means to eliminate one's own prejudices, selfish desires, various concepts and other external things, so that one can transcend cognitive limitations. "Inaction" means to move along with things and follow the sky. "Nothing" is not a negative nothingness, but a natural wisdom. Quotation from “Zhuang Zi·Heaven and Earth”, “Do not rejoice in long life, do not mourn death, do not feel glory because of knowledge, do not feel shame because of poverty.” When one lets go of worldly desires and breaks away from the constraints of rules and regulations, one can reach a state of freedom. “The Ultimate Joy of Inaction” is exactly this kind of transcendent freedom.

In this series, I depict the feeling brought to me by the lotus pond with freely flowing water and colors. The fluidity of watercolor creates a random effect on the contours and colors of objects, giving them a carefree and unrestrained appearance. Painting is a free creative experience. I hope to preserve and express this emotional experience as much as possible, so that the lotus pond in my painting can not only express the characteristics of form and color, but also showcase my inner world. My pleasure, anger, sorrow, and joy, combined with the four seasons of rain and sunshine in the lotus pond, are turned into pouring colors that dance freely on the paper. At this moment, they have nothing to do with the lotus pond or the painting, my emotions and my feelings are naturally revealed in my brush, the lotus pond is me, and I am the lotus pond.

      The image of the lotus pond is reduced to symbolic elements in such a rich inner expression.  The painting presents a sense of freedom that transcends physical objects. The significance of the lotus pond is not limited to its physical appearance, it is also a spiritual home for me.