Artwork Description

Title: Flowers
Artist: Mo Xiong
Date: n.d.
Medium: Ink and watercolour on paper
Dimensions: 30.7 x 42.9 in (78 x 109 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
This vibrant still life by Mo Xiong, Title:d Flowers, showcases the artist’s masterful command of ink and watercolour on paper. With a spirited yet delicate touch, Xiong constructs an abundant floral arrangement set in a transparent vase beside a basket of lemons, painted with bursts of aquamarine, jade, lavender, and sunlit yellow. A light scattering of splattered pigment and gestural brushwork imbues the composition with energy, freshness, and spontaneity, elevating the commonplace subject into a lyrical meditation on nature’s vitality.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Mo Xiong is celebrated for his synthesis of Chinese artistic traditions and Western painterly techniques. In Flowers, one can trace the lineage of Chinese brush painting—particularly in its fluidity, composition, and emphasis on spiritual resonance—while also recognizing the expressive freedom and color modulation reminiscent of modern Western watercolorists. His style evokes the sensibilities of both literati painting and impressionistic spontaneity, embodying a harmonious convergence of East and West.

3. Historical Context
Emerging in post-Mao China during the transformative decades of the 1980s and beyond, Mo Xiong's practice represents a generation of artists reconciling cultural heritage with global artistic dialogues. Educated at Nanjing University of the Arts during a period of increasing openness, his work reflects the rich dialogue between tradition and innovation that characterized contemporary Chinese art in the reform era. His still lifes capture not only material beauty but also the shifting artistic consciousness of late 20th-century China.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The work is in very good condition. The paper surface is stable with no visible tears, stains, or discoloration. Colors remain fresh and vibrant. No conservation treatment is deemed necessary at this time.

6. Artistic Significance
Mo Xiong’s contributions to Chinese contemporary art are both academic and creative. As a member of the China Artists Association and a Distinguished Teacher at Nanjing University of the Arts, his influence spans generations. His ability to merge classical Chinese visual lexicon with modern sensibilities makes his work uniquely positioned within the canon of East Asian art. Flowers is emblematic of his approach—elegant, unrestrained, and deeply rooted in a cross-cultural artistic identity. Works such as this exemplify the evolving narrative of Chinese painting in the global era.