Lotus 1957

This is a watercolor painting of a Lotus by Ding Yanyong and, oh boy, can I imagine him making it! I mean, look at the translucent washes of color. You can almost see the water rippling on the page as the pigment spreads and blooms. See how the stem of the lotus is a confident stroke of deep, juicy blue? It’s like the artist just went for it, trusting his hand and eye to capture the essence of the plant. I imagine him kneeling over a table in his studio, brush dancing across the paper, chasing the light and shadow as they play across the petals. I love how the dragonfly at the top is rendered with a few quick flicks of red—so light, so airy! And the big leaves at the bottom, rendered in this deep brownish red, are full of energy. You can feel the artist's presence in every brushstroke. It reminds me that painting is a conversation, an ongoing dialogue between artists across time and space. It’s about seeing and feeling and then finding a way to share that with the world, you know?