by Maxine Xu

Artwork Description

Autumn

19.0 x 13.5 inches

Autumn unfolds as a vibrant yet contemplative composition where deep umber, rust red, and amber tones mingle with inky blacks and soft yellows. The pigments appear to drift and merge like fallen leaves stirred by a gentle breeze, forming an organic, almost cloud-like structure at the heart of the piece. Over this atmospheric field, fine gold lines trace the outlines of chrysanthemums, bamboo, and other seasonal flora, their graceful forms emerging from the abstract background with quiet elegance. The interplay between the free-flowing watercolor washes and the precise golden contours gives the work a sense of balance — between chaos and order, nature’s wildness and human contemplation. The flowers, rendered in pale white and gold, seem to shimmer against the muted paper, symbolizing endurance and purity amid the fading warmth of autumn. At the lower left, the artist’s red seal and signature add a traditional note, grounding the piece in East Asian artistic heritage while the expressive abstraction keeps it contemporary. The composition evokes the transience of beauty, the gentle decay that comes with time, and the golden stillness of nature preparing for rest.

Artwork Details

Medium: Painting Other

Genre: Abstract