The Life of Flower by Su Yan Ji

• Main Authors: JI,SU-YAN, 机素燕
• Other Authors: LIN,YUEH-CHYI
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2019
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/6zzzkt

碩士 === 文藻外語大學 === 創意藝術產業研究所 === 107 === The reason that I decided to use “floral presentations” as the common theme for my artwork was that I started to develop a disease when I was 29 years old. For some reason, I could not straighten my knees, and my legs felt weak and shaky. Slowly I lost my mobility and have had difficulty getting about since then. The concept of my art creation is associated with “Odes to Chrysanthemums”, a series of poems in Dream of the Red Chamber (a classic Chinese novel). In these poems, chrysanthemums reflect a poet’s specific emotions in life. The varied colors, shapes, and contours of these flowers are fascinating in the eyes of a poet, although they are also symbolic of melancholy. In literati paintings, flowers serve as a metaphor for a person’s character. In modern life, flowers are used as a medium to express one’s wishes and blessings. Each flower has a symbol of its own in literary works, which is known as the flower meaning. When engaged in creating art, I have been deeply influenced by two female artists. Frida Kahlo,1907-1954 impressed me with her determination to fight against illness and pain via paintings about her life story, whereas Georgia Totto O’Keeffe,1887-1986 taught me how to express my thoughts and emotions through paintings. Moreover, I tried to adopt a viewpoint based on Carl Gustav Juug,1875-1961 dream interpretation, so as to see the outer self from the inner mind. In other words, I have examined myself and faced the most genuine “self” through my own art creation. Furthermore, I hope to incorporate my own life experience into these therapeutic inner journeys by creating a series of “hands” monotype art prints, after the floral monotype art prints, since there are so many warm hands that have reached out to support and help me in my life’s journey. The series of “hands” monotype art prints would express my innermost gratitude toward life and the world.