Get up close to art and nature this weekend. At the Gallery of Chinese Painting on Beishan Road, there is a new exhibition featuring the beauty of nature in water-colour paintings by artist Cai Dong.

The theme of the exhibition involves flowers, herbs and trees which are recurring subject matters in Chinese poems and paintings. For many, they are the symbols of wisdom, compassion, and purity.

A poet named Xie Kun in Qing Dynasty devoted his life observing and writing about flowers and herbs. The book “A journal of flower and herbs” (花木小志) by Xie has inspired many young artists, including Cai Dong.

Born and raised in Zhejiang, Cai Dong is captivated by nature and travelled widely to explore what poets and writers had been earnest about. A sense of ease and comfort surface easily when looking at his painting. The thin, curving stems of a pear, the slightly wearing lotus, and the unfolding petals of camomile, all illustrate the artist’s talent in discovering the beauty of ordinary.

If you would like to explore more about Cai Dong’s works, pay a visit to the Gallery of Chinese Painting on Beishan Road before February 2.