Lotus 3

100*100cm, 2023

While this oil painting takes the lotus flowers, leaves, and pond as its subjects for plein air painting, the artist places greater emphasis on subjective expression and a calligraphic brushwork style that emphasizes the compositional elements, thus crafting a unique language of plein air painting.

Niu’s use of color is vibrant and varied, highlighting contrasts and interplays between hues. The brushstrokes are bold and heavily applied, creating a sculptural texture on the canvas. This gestural brushwork imparts a dynamic energy to the painting, with each mark contributing to a sense of movement and rhythm.

The calligraphic style of the strokes bestows a lyrical quality upon the piece, suggesting the artist’s hand moving fluidly across the surface, akin to a dancer’s choreographed movements. The composition is alive and dynamic, eschewing a static portrayal of nature for one that appears to be in constant flux. This method captures not just the essence of the subject but also conveys the artist’s emotional response to it. There is a dialogue between representational and abstract elements, where recognizable forms coexist with passages that lean toward abstraction. The result is a painting that communicates in its visual language—one informed by the direct experience of the landscape but articulated through a highly personal and expressive execution.

It's not merely a reflection of the natural world but a reinterpretation that reveals the interplay between the artist's inner world and the external reality. This work invites viewers to see nature through the artist’s eyes, to witness a world transformed by their vision and hand.