Lotus
Influenced by Shi Tao, Bada Shanren, Chen Hongshou, Dunhuang cave art and modern western art, Dai-chien was versatile in landscape, figure, flower-and-bird painting and calligraphy. This painting was done in 1948; the meticulous brushwork in color is clearly inspired by his study of Chen Hongshou and the Dunhuang cave art. It has a decorative character. Gilt lotus flowers of a red base sway in the midst of a mass of green leaves; the grain of the petals and the veins of the leaves are defined with long hard lines. Only the lotus stems still show traces of an attempt to render three-dimensionality, an exception in this two-dimensional work and a reflection of the explorations of the artist in transition.
