Paintings with Auspicious Symbols V - Peacocks 孔雀東南飛
I was inspired by the Chinese traditional folk art style to create a couple of peacocks with eight peony-flowers oil painting on canvas recently, which I named "Peacocks Flying Southeast 孔雀東南飛".
"Peacocks Flying Southeast" is well-known to Chinese and is a phenomenal poem in Chinese literary history. It is one of the collections of the Music Academy (YueFu) formed by the Han Dynasty (196—219 AD) courts to gather literary works created largely for the common people.
It was about a tragic love story between a young couple, who promised to love each other forever. Perhaps the morbid mother-in-law could not stand the daughter-in-law coming between her and her son. Eventually she broke up the marriage when her son was working out of the town. The young couple’s dream and promise of living together was shattered. Both their families forced them to marry someone else. So this young couple took their own lives, fulfilling their commitment of love in a different world...
The first time I read this tragic but beautiful love story-poem, I had the passion and wanted to create a painting. Eventually, I have fulfilled my own dream now that I have the life experience after decades.
During the time I created this piece which was a very challenging artwork to me, I have found out how great and creative the Chinese folk artists were. At the same time, I interpreted more auspicious meaning into this piece, and I would love to share it with my viewers.
The symbolic meaning of flowers in Feng Shui is akin to the shared interpretation of flowers across many cultures. They evoke in all human beings a feeling of positive energy, healthy, prosperity, beauty in life.
In addition to the energy of beauty and grace, flowers also bring a flourishing, good luck, numerous blessings, and joy to any home. Feng Shui - wise, attention is often paid to colors, numbers, as well as the symbolism of specific types of flowers.
Peony - One of the most sensual flowers has a delicious scent and has long been used in Feng Shui as a cure for love and romance, especially applies to a couple of pink peonies. The symbol of peony is often considered a metaphor for female beauty.
In Feng Shui birds are considered powerful symbols of new opportunity and regarded as lucky signs of good fortune. Birds can also symbolize love and commitment (such as Mandarin Ducks), or abundance and good luck (such as the Peacocks).
Peacock - stunning in its beauty, the Peacock is considered the manifestation of the celestial Phoenix on earth. Its mesmerizing colors and the "thousand eyes" look on its tail is considered to promote fame-luck in Feng Shui, as well as enhance one's protection and awareness. Of course, such a beautiful bird as a peacock will also symbolize beauty and the feelings of love and attraction, thus the image of the peacock or peacock feathers are often recommended in Feng Shui as a love cure for single people to help attract the desired mate.
