‘Flower Vase’ is an incredible oil on canvas work by Lu Hao which characterizes the artist’s defining approach to contrasting traditional elements within modern structures. Here, he creates vibrantly colored, delicately painted flowers and juxtaposes them against the rigid, blackened structure of the Great Hall of the People on the western edge of Tiananmen Square, dripping with pollution. Lu Hao speaks to the aspects of classical Chinese culture being slowly eradicated by the ever developing age of modernity; both locked in a constant struggle against each other.

An incredibly diversified artist, Lu Hao (B. 1969) is known for his paintings and sculptures which seek to explore the clash of classical Chinese traditions with the rapidly evolving modern age. The artist investigates human existence as it relates to ideological environments, cultural devastation, and government propagation. Most vital to his work is the notion that relics of the traditional Chinese lifestyle are endangered of being obliterated, obscured by progress and an utter lack of concern towards the past. Lu Hao’s paintings are created with vividly contrasting colors, incorporating traditional motifs such as flowers, goldfish, and birds, with architectural structures. His sculptures continue this theme, with elaborate architectural installations called Crystal Palaces, fabricated from Plexiglas in place of stone and steel materials. Lu Hao studied the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing and has exhibited at numerous venues the world over including Museum der Moderne (Salzburg, Austria), Today Art Museum (Beijing, China), He Xiangning Art Museum (Shenzhen, China), and Galerie Soardi (Nice, France), among others.