In the spirit of the old studio masters, this Chinese flower and bird painting arranges lotus, pink lotus, and seed pod across a tall silk ground. Seasoned buyers of bird-and-flower silk wall art will recognize the practiced hand at once. Ink and color share the silk in easy balance, the way the old studio painters liked it.
Every element carries its own quiet message: the lotus, Buddhism's emblem of purity rising from mud; the natural world here is observed with genuine fondness. The painter's hand shows in free splash-ink brushwork, and pink and ink tones keep the whole scene luminous. Painted silk like this was once reserved for scholars' studios; now it can hang in any home. Lotus anchors the composition, and the surrounding details reward a second look. Lotus, done in free splash-ink brushwork, is the passage collectors will return to.
Above a fireplace mantel, the vertical line balances the horizontal below. Anyone downsizing will appreciate art that fits any wall.
