Lotuses, Han Tianheng

Exhibition Label: “The Sacred and the Secular: Buddhist Imagery in Religious and Popular Contexts,” Oct-2005, Hillary Pedersen The lotus is a pure flower that grows from the muddy bottom of a pond. A symbol of purity, beauty and elegance, it was also a potent metaphor for Buddhist enlightenment within a “muddy” world. Han Tianheng has interpreted this lotus in a bold and free style. Following the practice of literati artists to capture the spirit of the motif, Han has accentuated the whiteness of the lotus petals by rendering the surrounding leaves and stems in jet black ink. Han Tianheng, a seal-carver as well as a painter, was born in Suzhou. He worked and taught in Shanghai and in 1987 became acting director of the Shanghai Painting Academy. Archive Label 2003 (version 1): The lotus is a pure flower that grows from muddy pond bottoms. A symbol of purity, beauty, and elegance, it is also a striking metaphor for Buddhist enlightenment in a “muddy” or corrupt world. Han Tianheng here paints the lotus freely and boldly. Following the literati artists’ practice of capturing the spirit of the motif, he accentuates the whiteness and purity of the lotus petals by rendering the surrounding leaves and stems in jet-black ink. Archive Label 2003 (version 2): The lotus is a pure white flower that grows from the muddy bottom of a pond. A symbol of purity, beauty and elegance, it was also a potent metaphor for Buddhist enlightenment within a "muddy" world. Han Tianheng has interpreted this lotus in a bold and free style. Following the practice of literati artists to capture the spirit of the motif, Han has accentuated the whiteness of the lotus petals by rendering the surrounding leaves and stems in jet black ink. Han Tianheng, a seal-carver as well as a painter, was born in Suzhou. He worked and taught in Shanghai and in 1987 became acting director of the Shanghai Painting Academy. Archive Label date unknown: Growing up from the mud at the bottom of ponds, the lotus became an important symbol of Buddhism; it was compared to the Buddha achieving enlightenment within the corrupt world. Han Tianheng, a painter, calligrapher, and seal carver active in the Shanghai area, has presented us with a bold new interpretation. Viewing the lotus as a symbol of purity, he has accentuated the whiteness of the petals by painting the surrounding leaves and stems in lustrous black ink. During the Cultural Revolution, Han Tianheng befriended Lu Yanshao (also represented here), and acquired may of Lu's best paintins. Archive Label: Growing up from the mud at the bottom of the ponds, the lotus became an important symbol of purity, beauty, and elegance in Chinese culture. It was even used to symbolize the Buddha's achieving enlightenment in the dusty world. As such, the lotus has been painted by generations of artists since ancient times. Han T'ien-heng, an artist active in Shanghai, represented this purity flower in a bold and free style. Following the practice of literati artists to capture the spirit of the motif, Han has accentuated the whiteness of the lotus petals by rendering the surrounding leaves and stems in jet black ink.