Artwork Description

Mo Xiong
Flowers, n.d.
ink and watercolor on paper mounted on cardboard
19.7 × 19.7 in (50 × 50 cm)

This composition presents a densely animated floral arrangement structured in a square format. At its center, vivid red blossoms are surrounded by white daisies, saffron-toned berries, and layered green foliage, all expanding outward in a burst of chromatic energy. A dark vessel anchors the bouquet, resting on a patterned surface marked by golden cross-hatching and subtle decorative fruit motifs.

The work demonstrates Mo Xiong’s characteristic fusion of Chinese compositional principles with the expressive intensity of Western modernist painting. Through layered washes, splattered pigment, and rhythmic brushwork, the artist constructs a surface that oscillates between order and spontaneity. The visual language draws on calligraphic traditions while embracing a more expansive, abstracted handling of colour and form.

As part of a broader series of square-format floral works, the painting reflects Mo Xiong’s ongoing interest in revitalising the still life genre through heightened emotional and chromatic expression. It belongs to a period in contemporary Chinese art marked by increased openness to global influences and renewed experimentation with traditional subject matter.

Flowers functions as a concentrated study of visual intensity, where structure and exuberance are held in equilibrium. The result is a tightly orchestrated yet dynamic field of colour, in which floral forms become carriers of rhythm, movement, and painterly vitality.