Mother & Child

Recently while packing, I chanced upon these drawings again.

Many years ago during a book fair, I chanced upon a set of drawings in post card size and with accompanying poems, by Chinese artist Li Zi Jian 李自健. The series "Mother And Daughter" is one of the oil paintings which mainly represents many other art works by Li Zi Jian. He used his wife Dan Hui 丹慧 and daughter as some source materials of his paintings. His art works center around the theme of humanity, he strongly expressed the light and eternity with humanity and a mother's love. His wife Dan Hui wrote a poem for each of his paintings for this series. Dan Hui is a well known poet in her own right.

I am not sure why these drawings captivated me, that I have kept them all these years. Perhaps it was the beautiful lady in the series, in her moments carrying a child and in her moments with child. Perhaps it is the vivid and life-like painting that captures the beauty of the mother, the beauty of birth, the beauty of the innocent child and the beauty of the connection between mother and child. Perhaps it is the combination of poetry and painting that makes the art works more appealing and brings out its special characteristics. I like the painting of the mother breastfeeding her baby best, and this poem 生之梦.

Glad I found this, one of my childhood memories/treasures.