Watercolour Paintings with Moral Meanings
As an artist, I like to express my thoughts in my watercolour paintings on the moral values in this modern day’s fast-paced society and to reflect on the values that might have been forgotten by most when pursuing materialistic gain and fame.
Root of All Evil 万恶之源
This art depicts Mahjong, a common game used for gambling which requires the players to discard unwanted tiles and create combos to earn points. The Chinese characters on the tiles kept in the players’ hands have been replaced by words like “Selfishness”, “Status”, “Arrogance”, “Power” as well as “Immorality”. While tiles such as “Roots”, “Culture”, “Virtues” and other values alike are simply discarded. This speaks of the issue of people devaluing their own roots and morality in exchange to keep their status and power in check through various vices. To win the game, people tend to use bad tiles which also metaphorically reflects on some in society. The newspapers laying below which may go unnoticed has company names which translates to “Senseless Reports”, “Daily Boos” and “Reality reports”. This conveys his thoughts to be aware of the media as some may not report truthfully.
Traces of Time 岁月流痕
The art speaks of the effect of time. Time passes while things around us naturally age and wear out. The stairs inhabit plants in the tiny cracks formed on its surface due to the test of time.
Remembering One’s Root 饮水思源
The art speaks of the value of remembering one’s roots. The Banyan tree depicted has roots that branch out from the main trunks and sticks into the soil surrounding the tree. These young roots grow with the help of nutrients coming from the main trunk. In return, these young roots return the favour of support and nutrients to the main tree. This parallels the ideal relationship and rapport between parent and child.
吹牛
“Chui Niu” directly translates to blow cow. This is a common saying amongst Chinese, referring to the act of boasting. The rubber cow imitation, inflated by a machine when compared side by side to the real deal, looks much more glamorous and plump. Though, looks can be deceiving as the real bull is much tougher and useful in reality as only the real bull can help the farmers plough the field. Empty cans make the most noise, exercise humility.
The Great Leveller 最后归宿
On the wall is written, “In reality, once you lose your value”. All kinds of rubbish are discarded there, even including luxury brand products such as the Guinness and Marlboro cigarette packs are discarded along with normal products.
Everyone has to work to feed themselves. Though you may have a higher position than others, remain humble and respect those below you. Once you lose the value you once possessed, you will also be disregarded in the end. In that sense, everyone is equal in the end no matter how prestigious you once were.
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