The Way of Peace Painting

This painting features an egret standing in the shallow water. He has one leg up, and neck craned to the back, gazing into a direction. The lotus flowers blossom around him, and a school of fish can be seen under the ripples on the water. On the top right corner reads "Yi Lu Xiang He" which refers to "The Way of Peace" in English, followed by the artist's signature and seal. This painting was created in the traditional Chinese free-hand style using brush strokes and ink. It comes mounted on a wall hangable scroll, can also easily be remounted and framed. Egrets are popular subjects for Chinese artists since ancient times and they have been featured in poems, paintings, decorative items and even on textiles. They represent longevity, bliss, peace and progression. Egrets also symbolise a "path" or "way" as the name in mandarin shares the same pronunciation as "a way, path, or method". In this painting the egret is accompanied by lotus flowers, which adds the sentiment of progression, as lotus sounds the same as the word "successive" in mandarin.