"Over the years, my work has been largely evolving around the themes of the rise and fall of life and the natural circle- that is, the ultimate questions of life and death. The “Yang” and “Yin” represent, respectively, the joy of life and the sadness of death. Life is habitually considered to be colored, while death, on the other hand, colorless. If we can transcend such dualities, we shall be able to reconcile with ourselves and consequently gain eternal ease.

Plants and landscapes have always been two of the most significant genres in Eastern painting and have become symbols. Whereas Western painting is largely divided into three genres i.e. landscapes, still-life and portraiture, Eastern painting can be similarly divided broadly into three genres: landscapes, flowers-and-birds, and portraiture. It should be noted here, however, that the flowers-and-birds in the Eastern painting is rather different from the still-life in Western painting in the sense that whereas the still-life genre in Western painting has tended to depict flowers in a vase in a realist way in attempts to capture a slice of life, the flower genre in Eastern painting does more than that, as it articulates the symbolic value of the subject and embodies the essence of Nature.

A plant contains both organic and non-organic aspects. It grows upwards against gravity. Although it has a solid body, its pollen and fragrance is spread on the wind and eventually leads to reproduction at some time. The plant is extremely sensitive to its surrounding environment and to other species, so its shape and orientation are easily affected by various external forces. Even of the same family, no two plants can ever be identical to one another, as each individual plant will grow to fit its environment. The plant and its environment are mutually contained: on the one hand, it is an entity wrapped by natural environment; on the other hand, it is also a universe in its own right, taking in the air, water and soil which enwrap it. Just like the life and death of human beings, the blooming and fading of flowers is a natural phenomenon. Although the plants seem to exist outside of the human life, they appear to also share our joy of life as well as our sadness of death. Underneath their silent and feeble facade lies the secret of great power. The plants have the most extraordinary vitality and dignity – a fact that I try to visually articulate through my paintings.

The plant grows and fades like the smooth sounds of the music. I am particularly fascinated by their vitality and inner potential. Their warmth, elegance and strength have significantly enriched my paintings."

- Chang Chen-wen