Flower Painting
One of the most common motifs in Chinese painting are flowers. The special thing is that the focus is not only on the beauty of the depicted flowers, but each flower has its own meaning. In combination with animals and other plants, any imaginable feeling, thought, and a wide variety of symbolic meanings can be represented.
Flower motifs can symbolize female beauty and virtues, happiness and family omens but also political authority.
Flower motifs were popular in all Chinese dynasties and so the number of symbolic meanings is almost immeasurable.
For example, the peony represents a high social position, great wealth and prosperity.
Not only the type of flowers but also their color can change the meaning or sentiment of a painting.
Red peonies represent, among other things, true passion, because red is the color of vitality.
Pink peonies, on the contrary, symbolize love, affection and romance.
Yellow tones wish happiness and prosperity, and white peonies show that you are thinking of someone.
The Chinese word for flower or blossom is “hua”.
