By looking at nature, we see life in different settings and moment.  Whether it is the beauty of the transience or simply the passage of time, presentation of the natural world is the most power inspiration because it connects us with the place we live in.

Landscape as a genre has enjoyed tremendous popularity yet vastly different interpretations.  In classical Western tradition, it is presented as philosophical reflection of the order of world.  It denotes inevitability and the power of divinity.   The Chinese landscapists, on the other hand, project the natural world as symbolic reference to its inherited qualities.  Nature is a virtue to be admired and learnt from.

The depiction of four seasons is perhaps best to exemplify such different views of nature.   Nicolas Poussin’s pantheistic landscape depicts the changing seasons by specifying time, space and perspective; thereby allowing the audience a direct visual connection.  Rather than projecting nature’s passage with atmosphere and depth, Chinese painter prefers to use flowers and plants as embodiment of the changing seasons.  Zhang Daqian, the 20th century Chinese master, paints orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, and plum blossom to express the changing sentiments in different time of the year.  These plants, famously known as the Four Gentlemen, allure to such noble qualities of resilience, modesty, perseverance and fortitude. 

The changing seasons is the central theme of Zaffer Chan’s new collection.  Colorful, meticulous and filled with symbolism, Chan’s new works cleverly combine both traditional qualities in a visually stunning interpretation.  Works like Misty Wings and Ceaseless Frost Lines clearly pay tribute to the Chinese visions of the order of nature, relying predominately on metaphorical interaction in a irrational landscape composition.  Distance in Piece and Heterology, in contrast, projects nature as tangible environment.  The strong use of atmospheric perspective and mogu (boneless) technique can be traced to the Lingnan school lineage.  They added adequate depth and visual arrangement to a simple composition that otherwise would have appeared bland.  The central piece of the exhibition, Frosty Hot Spring, brings forth the artist’s interest and knowledge of Japanese Ukiyo-e (which is a primary influence to the Lingnan painters) in its screen format and ink wash treatment.  Now mounted as four scrolls, it presents a panoramic vision of the season’s essence in both visual and symbolic way.  The painting is Chan’s best effort in connecting the audience with her world, or more precisely, our own world.