Lotus 1958

Chang Dai-chien made this lotus painting with ink, probably in the mid-20th century. It feels like a dance, doesn't it? The way the ink swishes and pools is almost like watching someone discover a new move. Look at the dark, almost bruising, blacks against the pale paper. There's a real physicality to the marks here. You can almost feel the brush loaded with ink, dragged and pushed across the surface. The lotus pads feel heavy. See how Chang uses these big washes of ink and then punctuates them with finer, almost skeletal lines? It's like he's building up a world, layer by layer, adding detail where it counts. This balance of bold gesture and delicate line reminds me of Cy Twombly’s work. Both artists seem interested in how a few simple marks can suggest so much. It’s a conversation across cultures and time, a reminder that art is always in motion, always finding new ways to say old things.