Lotus 1957

Ding Yanyong made this watercolor of a lotus with a dragonfly, and it feels immediate, like a quick sketch but also complete in its own way. The blues and reds mix right there on the absorbent paper, so the colors aren't precious or overly controlled. This kind of directness always gets me thinking about the physical act of painting, you know, the actual gestures and the way the paint behaves. Look at the lotus leaves. See how the red bleeds into the surrounding paper? It’s a reminder that painting is as much about letting go as it is about control. There’s an openness here that I really respond to. It reminds me a bit of some of Joan Mitchell’s looser watercolors. You can see the influence of traditional Chinese ink painting, but Yanyong is also doing his own thing, making something that feels fresh and new. Art’s just an ongoing conversation, isn’t it?