This exhibition features more than 70 paintings of lotus by modern artists from the collections of the two museums. These artworks showcase the beauty of the lotus in Chinese and Western painting styles from the late Qing dynasty to the present day; they utilize different techniques such as freehand, brushwork, oil painting, and watercolor. The artists presented in this exhibition include Wu Chang-Shuo, Chang Dai-Chien, Pu Xin-Yu, Wang Zhen, Shen Yao-Chu, Wu Ping, Zheng Man-Qing, Jin Chin-Bo, Chao Shao-An, Au Ho-Nien, Huang Lui-Sang, Chung Chen-Sun, Lee Chi-Mao, Huang Kuang-Nan, Chiang Ming-Shyan, San Yu, Kuan Chih-Chung, Xi Mu-Rong, Liang Dan-Fong. From these paintings, we see how the lotus is portrayed by both traditional and contemporary painters through a myriad of forms and sentimental expressions.
The lotus flower is a symbol of Buddhism because of its purity and elegance, and signifies divinity and immortality. In particular, the lotus flower is used as a metaphor to describe Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who remain pure and untainted in the world.
The exhibition is divided into five sections: “Master Dai-Chien and the Da Feng Tang Studio,” “Epigraphic School and Its Styles,” “Light and Color of the Lingnan School,” “Flowers and Birds of Literati Painters,” and “Convergence of East and West.” We hope that every visitor would get to appreciate these artworks under the colorful brushstrokes of modern artists.
