1) Delicate
2) Beautiful
3) Intriguing
4) Elegant
5) Vibrant
6) Mysterious
7) Unique
8) Colorful
9) Natural
10) Red
11) Bold
12) Lively
13) Graceful
14) Luscious
15) Appealing
Zhang was well known for his Lotus paintings. This piece in particular caught my eye because of the vibrant red color of the Lotus flowers. The detail of the flowers is not entirely realistic, but realistic enough to realize what it is. On the flower its self, I like the use of line that is drawn on the underside of the pedals to make them look more three dimensional. I am curious as to why Zhang painted the surrounding leaves black, but the bottom leaves green (assuming the surrounding leaves were not realistically black). I wonder what the black leaves symbolized or if that is how they actually appeared while painting this piece. I was also drawn in by the flowers that have yet to bloom. It adds variety to the piece and shows what the Lotus flower may look like at different stages of growth. Since Zhang was well known for his Lotus paintings, I am curious to know whether or not the Red Lotus flower symbolizes something in particular in the Chinese culture? Maybe the Red Lotus flower symbolizes something in Zhang's personal life? Either way, I am curious to know the details and meaning behind this painting.
I too find his color choices interesting. Just looking at the small version of the image at the top of your post, the red lotus pops out first against the black leaves, something that I don't think would happen if he placed the flower on the white paper alone. It also looks heavy and stormy in the small version since the leaves look kind of shapeless and turbulant like a big storm over the water or stormclouds. I also think it's interesting the way he left the veins of the black leaves white when typically lines are in black ink with the leaves as green or some other color. Lots of interesting color choices!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy this piece. The bold color of the lotus flower is beautiful. I have also picked a piece that has a bold flower as the main feature, so I can relate to the reasons you chose this piece. The lotus flower does have a special meaning in Chinese history but I do not know if a red lotus does. Do red lotus flowering even exist, maybe he made it red for the same reason he made the leaves black. I am very interested to find out why he chose the colors he did.
ReplyDeleteI think studying this painting from the tenants of Chinese ink painting will be interesting. The choice of the bright red lotus could be nothing more than an aesthetic choice to make the red flower look like a red flower. Like you said, however, it could hold a deeper meaning. This painting as an example of fine brush painting is interesting in itself- and would be beautifully simple without any deeper meaning. However, Chinese art has become slowly more emotionally expressive closer to the modern era, and there could be so much more!
ReplyDeleteYou have given a good physical description of the painting. I'm sure you'll find deeper meaning the more you delve into this artist's life. I hope that we keep hearing about it!