Lotus 1965

This is Chang Dai-chien’s ‘Lotus’, made with ink and colour on paper. Just imagine him there, delicately building up layers of wash, letting the ink bleed and spread, seeing what emerges. I love the idea of the lotus as a starting point – it's a traditional symbol of purity and rebirth. But what I see here is the sheer joy of process. The big, bold strokes of ink that make up the leaves, the way the colour pools and creates these hazy, atmospheric effects. It's like Chang Dai-chien is not just painting a flower, but capturing its fleeting essence, its energy. There’s a conversation happening here between representation and abstraction. It reminds me of what artists like Joan Mitchell were doing, finding new ways to capture the essence of the world. Each gesture, each mark feels so intentional. It's a reminder that painting is a way of seeing and feeling.