Blue Flower Clipboard

“Blue Flower” is a painting of a morning glory by Birgit Moldenhauer. Its painted in traditional Chinese freestyle technique with Chinese watercolor and ink on rice paper. Morning glories open and close with the sun, symbolizing fleeting yet sincere love and beauty that appear briefly but intensely. In Chinese culture and art, the morning glory, also known as qian niu hua, symbolizes marital bliss, love, and affection, often depicted through its graceful vines. The morning glory's association with the sad romance between the cowherd Niulang and the weaver girl Zhinu, who are allowed to meet only once a year, links the flower to the theme of restricted love and longing for reunion. In brush paintings, morning glories are rendered with flowing, graceful strokes to capture the delicate beauty of their form and the intricate patterns of their twisting vines. The flowers' vibrant colours, such as blue and purple, add a splash of vitality and cheerfulness to Chinese artworks, contributing to an overall sense of optimism