Two different sceneries and realms of blooming: the unrestrained vitality in brushstrokes and paintings

Literature and painting are like twin flowers, interpreting the soul of flowers through different media. Literature weaves the imagery of flowers with words, while painting delineates the forms of flowers with colors and brushstrokes, jointly presenting the unrestrained beauty of flowers.

In the realm of literature, flowers are symbols of emotions. Tao Yuanming’s “Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence” endows the chrysanthemum with the spirit of seclusion from the mundane world; Li Qingzhao’s “I am thinner than the yellow chrysanthemum” transforms the chrysanthemum into a carrier of sorrow. Writers unfold the significance of flowers in their words, making them metaphors of emotions and constructing a unique floral realm within literature.

In the world of painting, flowers are a visual feast. Painters observe the forms and colors of flowers, capturing the moment with their brushes. Through meticulous brushstrokes, they outline the layers of petals and convey the vitality of flowers with color contrasts. Each stroke is an artistic distillation of the form and color of flowers. Painting does not require translation; it directly impacts the visual sense, preserving the symbolic core of flowers in literature while innovating through light and shadow, composition, and color to make the beauty of their forms and the charm of their colors bloom vividly.

Literature roots flowers in cultural soil, while painting allows them to blossom in visual splendor. Both stem from a love for flowers; literature endows them with cultural depth, and painting with visual dynamism, allowing flowers to thrive freely in a “dual realm.”Life is never lacking in beauty; it’s just that we lack the eyes that are good at spotting beauty. Flowers are the ubiquitous beauty in life. Cultivate the eyes to discover beauty with flowers, and let the ordinary days be fragrant and sweet.