Lotus 1977

Lin Fengmian made this painting of lotus flowers with oil on canvas, and I imagine him layering down the dark background first. Then he started building up the image of the flowers, the lily pads, and the vertical shoots coming out of the water. I love how he used thick white paint to make the lotus flowers chunky and tangible. It looks like he applied it with a palette knife, dragging the paint across the surface to give it texture. You can almost feel the weight and density of the paint. I love how the black and white colors of the painting pop, and the way the mark-making creates a sense of vitality, as if he's trying to capture the essence of these floating flowers and the light. There is something about the painting that echoes the work of earlier artists, such as Monet, who spent a lot of time observing the effects of light and color on the surface of water. Artists are always talking to each other, inspiring each other, and opening up new ways of seeing and understanding the world.