Chrysanthemum 1922

This beautiful Chrysanthemum scroll painting was done by Kuang Xü in China. It’s painted with ink on paper. I just love the way the ink blossoms against the red paper! The composition is so elegantly simple. When I look at it, I can imagine the artist carefully loading the brush with ink, feeling the weight of the brush in their hand, and then making these confident, rhythmic strokes to capture the essence of the chrysanthemum. It’s almost like a dance! The white space around the flower is just as important, allowing the eye to wander and the mind to breathe. I think the texture of the paper also plays a big role here, adding a subtle roughness that contrasts with the smoothness of the ink. It reminds me of Cy Twombly’s gestural mark-making. Artists are always talking to one another through time, riffing off each other’s ideas and techniques. This painting is an invitation to slow down, to observe, and to appreciate the beauty of imperfection.