Born from a scholarly family, Chiang Chao-shen was admitted to Hanyu Tang with outstanding talents in

literature, paintings, calligraphy and seal carving. He was the vice chairman of the National Palace Museum and led the Chinese paintings and calligraphy department, with extensive research covering Ma Yuan of Song, Zhao Mengfu of Yuan and prominent artists of the Wu School of Ming dynasty. Such a rich scholarly background allowed Chiang to adopt classical style into his modern paintings, which was praised by Artist Chu Ko as an ingenious adaptation, and paved his works in the course of art history. This colossal ink painting of lotus was done in splashed ink highlighting the artist’s sophisticated control of brush and intonation changes of ink. The poem by Zhang Chao of Tang dynasty describes a group of ladies battling against the wind and waves on a small boat while harvesting lotus. Together in unity, their womanhood shines with resilience and courage, which echo with the literary quality of the flower.

The structure was well planned and unique, highlighting the gradation of ink with black and white colour composition. The large leaves of various shades of black are accentuated by the force of wet and dried brush. These strokes carry hints of sturdiness of rubbing calligraphy, creating changes in heaviness of leaves, thereby a degree of disturbance. Throughout history, lotus are compared to noble scholars. In this work, among the disruption of leaves in the gusts, lotus flowers rise from gaps showing their purity and fairness. Such disposition further echoes with the poem and the connotations of the noble character of a Chinese scholar.