Fragrance of lotus 2019

Dayou Lu made this scroll-like painting, ‘Fragrance of Lotus,’ using ink and color on paper. It's less about perfect representation and more about capturing a feeling, a fleeting moment of beauty. You know, the kind that sticks with you. Look at the lotus pads, right? The dark teal ink bleeds and blossoms, creating a sense of depth and lushness. Then, these pops of orange, like embers glowing behind the foliage! It's so juicy. My eye keeps going back to the bird, perched so calmly amidst the chaos. There's something so delicate, yet so sure, in the way Lu captured it. It reminds me of Joan Mitchell's gestural abstraction, though Mitchell's work is way more wild. But, like here, it’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, always borrowing and building. Art doesn’t have to give you all the answers!