Artwork Description

Title: The Lotus Flower Is Different Red
Artist: Ye Lan
Date: n.d.
Medium: Ink and color on paper
Dimensions: 26.8 x 53.5 in (68 x 136 cm)

1. Artwork Identification
Ye Lan’s The Lotus Flower Is Different Red is a bold and expressive horizontal scroll, bursting with vibrant energy. Executed in ink and color on paper, the composition features a dense thicket of lotus stems, blossoms, and buds rendered in electrifying greens and crimson tones. Interspersed among the floral density are pairs of kingfishers—bright blue with orange bellies—adding both contrast and narrative charm to the image. The painting is inscribed across the top and sealed in red by the artist.

2. Artistic Style and Influences
Firmly grounded in the da xieyi (大写意) tradition, Ye Lan’s expressive brushwork departs from realism in favor of emotional depth and compositional freedom. While rooted in the classical bird-and-flower genre, the artist’s modern interpretation forgoes symbolic convention in favor of personal expression. The saturated colors, gestural linework, and near-psychedelic intensity recall aspects of both Chinese literati painting and global abstract expressionism.

3. Historical Context
Ye Lan, born in 1955 in Guanyun, Jiangsu Province, emerged from a generation of artists eager to reengage with expressive traditions following the Cultural Revolution. Educated at the Nanjing Art School, Ye Lan was particularly drawn to revitalizing ink painting with color and feeling, steering away from rigid formalism. This piece—overflowing with movement and vibrancy—reflects the artist’s broader engagement with modernity, nature, and personal aesthetic freedom within Chinese visual culture.

4. Provenance
Provenance documentation can be provided upon contact.

5. Condition and Conservation
The artwork is in very good condition. The colors remain vivid and saturated, with no visible deterioration. The paper is clean and structurally sound, showing no signs of warping, creasing, or moisture damage. The inscription and seals are crisp and well preserved.

6. Artistic Significance
The Lotus Flower Is Different Red is a jubilant declaration of artistic independence within a classical tradition. Ye Lan’s dynamic composition and fearless color palette breathe contemporary life into the time-honored flower-and-bird genre. As with much of Ye Lan’s work, this piece bridges heritage and innovation, making it a valuable and visually captivating addition to any serious collection of modern Chinese art.