How can cut flowers be kept fresh for a long time? An analysis of the characteristics of flower arranging art in China
Traditional flower arranging art in China is represented by literati flower arranging and has four major characteristics.
(1) Line characteristics: China's flower arranging art is mainly based on natural-style lines. "Line" is the bone of China's flower arranging modeling. The expressive power of lines is extremely rich; different lines express different forms and spirits: some are soft, some are strong; some are slender, some are rough; some are delicate and elegant; some are aged and weathered. Flower arranging art makes use of the myriad forms of plant flowers, branches, and leaves, and through the length and thickness, curves and straightness, pauses and turns, strength and softness, and the interplay of solid and void, sparse and dense of lines, it sketches out different forms such as concise, elegant and flowing, lean and vigorous, or rough and bold, creating flower arranging artworks of countless varied forms.
(2) Artistic conception characteristics: Flower arranging in China is often an artwork in which the author's subjective intention and objective scenery are fused, that is, the image thinking is completed through the author's imagination, association, and fantasy. Therefore, artistic flower arranging is not a simple repetition of natural images, but must blend intention with scene, form with spirit, and scenery with emotion. Each flower arranging artwork is composed of two aspects: "establishing intention" and "establishing form." Because flower arranging art is limited by spatial scope and natural materials, the expression of artistic conception is subject to certain restrictions. Therefore, in conceiving and establishing intention, the technique of using objects to convey meaning is often adopted, such as using plum to express themes of firmness of character, aloofness, and welcoming spring; using lotus to express themes of being untouched by dust and keeping oneself pure; and using orchid to express themes of freedom from vulgarity, elegance, and non-contention with the world.
(3) Revering nature: Flower arranging in China is mainly natural-style. In artistic technique, it uses decorative beauty to reflect natural beauty, that is, according to the natural posture of plant growth, through combinations of various curved and straight lines, it expresses the artistic conception of poetry and painting. It originates from nature and rises above nature. In composition, asymmetric balance techniques are often used to avoid mechanical symmetry. Plant materials should emphasize the expression of the individual form, that is, the posture of each flower, each branch, and each leaf must be displayed in the work. Therefore, in the same work, plant varieties, the amount of materials used, and color changes should all be simple rather than complex. In the selection of materials, flowers, branches, leaves, fruits, and vines must all be used. As for flowers, unopened flower buds, half-open buds, and fully blooming flowers are used together to express the natural stages of a plant's life process.