Anna Zhao

    anna.whizh@yahoo.com

    MORE than 120 watercolor paintings featuring lotus flowers by Shenzhen-based artist Zhang Xiaogang are on exhibition at the Guan Shanyue Art Museum through next Wednesday.

    Lotus flowers are a much-pursued artistic topic since in China they often represent purity and loftiness.

    Zhang’s paintings present lotuses from different perspectives, varying in time and space. The lotus leaves and flowers under the artist’s brush seem to be able to stir up emotional resonance with a full array of colors, from fiery red and bright yellow to emerald and dusty gray.

    Zhang, an art professor at Shenzhen Polytechnic, said that painting lotuses has become a means for him to pursue inner peace and spiritual purity. “After studying the plant for a long time, I found my paintings were not confined to the shape and color of lotuses — I tried to transfer their qualities to other objects by borrowing elements associated with lotus leaves and flowers,” he said.

    Sun Zhenhua, an art professor at China Academy of Art, said Zhang has developed mature painting skills that integrate both Western and Asian traditions.

    Artist Zou Ming said that Zhang endows a modernist overtone to his lotuses even though he uses the traditional medium of watercolor. “His paintings have great freedom to express his thoughts by surpassing the limit of watercolor with the skillful use of light and shadow,” Zou said.

    Dates: Through June 24

    Venue: Guan Shanyue Art Museum, 6026 Hongli Road, Futian District (福田区红荔路6026号关山月美术馆)

    Metro: Longgang or Longhua Line, Children’s Palace Station (少年宫站), Exit B