The Lake Mirrors Series 11 (2023) Schilderij door Xiaolan Sun

This series works are artist Xiaolan SUN's heartfelt expression of her hometown, Hangzhou, a city endowed with beautiful landscapes. She often enjoys strolling amidst the picturesque scenery, quietly absorbing the joy and inspiration bestowed by nature. Returning to her studio, she translates the beautiful impressions of natural landscapes in her mind onto the canvas, integrating both inspiration and emotion within the limited space of the canvas.

Xiaolan SUN has always excelled in landscape oil painting, with most of her works being of larger dimensions. This time, she ventures into smaller works, employing a different medium—oil pastels. Rich colors, concise compositions, and abundant textures express the poetic Eastern landscapes in the language of Western painting, achieving a clever and harmonious fusion of the two. The series depicts the beauty of West Lake in different seasons and times.

In her strokes, the essence of Chinese traditional culture intertwines with the wisdom of natural philosophy. With her unique artistic language, she reveals the enduring emotional connection between the natural world and the human soul. Her works are not merely a pursuit of beauty but also a spiritual exploration and enlightenment, guiding the audience through the fog of the mind to touch the purest depths of the soul.

This series, titled ' The Lake Mirrors', portrays both the real scenery and its reflection in the lake. Together, they coalesce in the artwork, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. Questions arise about what is real and what is illusion, contemplating the juxtaposition of the relative stillness of mountains and trees against the flowing water of the lake. It deeply explores the beauty of the combination of movement and stillness, offering profound insights into the magic and greatness of nature!