Chinese Peonies and Hydrangeas

Chinese Peonies and Hydrangeas 

Chinese watercolor paintings like the red peonies in this post can be painted in minutes even though acquiring sufficient skill to create such a painting can take many years to achieve mastery.  The other artwork featured in this post shows white hydrangeas and while similar in theme shows a more western version of a flower.  The more western rendering is in a metallic medium and gives a detailed botanical view.  The two pieces reflect different perspectives on realism.  One focuses on almost photographic precision, and the other highlights to a greater degree the expressive spirit of the flower subject.  For me both of the paintings are cultural artifacts reflecting fine artistic traditions.