《花期有约 · 其时》

An Appointment with Blossoms - In Their Time

孙宏涛（Joseph Sun / 雍城子）

春意不在时序，而在一念之间。

人以为四时有定，然草木却各有其待。天地气动，万物自开。所谓待春来，不过是潜伏已久的生机，于无声处渐渐显现。它不宣告，也不喧哗，只在瞬息之中，悄然成形。

Spring does not lie in the order of the seasons, but in a single instant.

People assume the four seasons are fixed, yet grasses and trees each have their own time of readiness. As the forces of heaven and earth begin to move, all things open of themselves. What is called “waiting for spring” is simply life long held in reserve, gradually revealing itself in silence. It does not announce itself, nor does it make a display; in a brief instant, it quietly takes shape.

其时  The Appointed Moment

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

花之所开，其不为观者。

它不取悦，也不证明。根入幽暗，能与沉默相守；枝叶虽伸向虚空，却与光风相和。至其内，将气息化为可见之象。所谓花期，不过是内在之气，与外在之时的相遇，是一种无言的约会。

When a flower blooms, it is not for the viewer.

It neither seeks to please nor to prove. Its roots enter into darkness and are able to remain in stillness; its branches and leaves extend outward, yet move in accord with light and wind. Within, it turns its inner movement into visible form. What we call the flowering season is nothing more than the meeting of inner life and external timing—a silent convergence.

夜色生花  Blooming in the Night

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

这一契合，是不可强求的。

过早，则生息未足；过迟，则时机便过。唯有在一线之间，气息满而不溢，势成而不滞，花方得以显现其身。那并不是选择，而是一种自然而然的成就。

This convergence cannot be forced.

If it comes too early, life is not yet sufficient; if it comes too late, the moment has already passed. Only within a narrow threshold—when what is forming is full but not excessive, when momentum is complete but not stagnant—can the flower appear as it is. This is not a matter of choice, but a natural completion.

生息  Growth and Renewal

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

人之困，多在未至而动。

未足，先求其盛；未成，先问其果；未信，先于物而乱。念先于时而起，行愈急，离其愈远。花却不然——不急，不争，不比较，也不迟疑。它只是默默静待，待一口气的圆满。

Human difficulty often lies in acting before the right time.

Before things are sufficient, we seek fullness; before they are complete, we demand results; before trust is established, we fall into disorder. Thought arises ahead of its time; the more urgently we act, the further we move away from it. The flower is otherwise—it does not rush, contend, compare, or hesitate. It simply remains, quietly waiting for the completion of its inner movement.

向光而生  Born Toward Light

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

庄子言：“物各有性。”

花尽其性，故无犹豫。它不自觉其开，亦不执其盛。一开一谢，皆为瞬息之往来；盛与衰，不过一呼一吸之间。花不拒衰，故其盛亦不滞。

As Zhuangzi said: “All things have their own nature.”

The flower fulfills its nature, and so has no hesitation. It is not aware of its blooming, nor attached to its fullness. Blooming and fading are simply moments of passage; fullness and decline are part of a single process. The flower does not resist decline; therefore its fullness does not become fixed.

无言而开  Blooming in Silence

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

看花，实为观己。

你若执其形，不过得其颜色；你若入其机，方见生息之行。花中所透出的，不是香，而是一种不可言说的安然。它不求被见，也不在意被遗忘。开与不开，于它而言，皆是自身。

To look at flowers is, in fact, to observe oneself.

If one holds to form, one only sees color; if one enters into its inner workings, one begins to sense the movement within. What the flower reveals is not fragrance, but a quiet and inexpressible ease. It does not seek to be seen, nor does it mind being forgotten. Whether it blooms or not, it remains itself.

花开有声  When Flowers Speak

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

所以，花无高下。

早开者不为先，晚开者不为后。各得其时，各自成其象。天地之间，本无迟早，唯有是否合于其“机”。

Therefore, there is no hierarchy among flowers.

Those that bloom early are not ahead; those that bloom late are not behind. Each reaches its own time and completes its own form. Between heaven and earth, there is no true early or late—only whether something accords with its proper timing.

叶间有息  Breath Between Leaves

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

《菜根谭》言：“闲看庭前花开花落。”

花开花落，从来不是景，而是一种分寸。开不逾其时，落不失其节。人若以此观己，则知进退之宜，亦明守持之度动而不越，静而不滞，方可与物同其自然。

As written in Caigentan: “Leisurely watch the flowers bloom and fall in the courtyard.”

Blooming and falling are not merely scenes, but matters of measure. To bloom without exceeding the right time, to fall without losing balance. If one observes oneself in this way, one understands when to advance and when to withdraw, and learns how to hold and sustain—moving without excess, remaining still without stagnation—thus aligning with the natural course of things.

晨光无尽  Endless Morning Light

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

“生息”，由此而见。

它不在形，不在色，而在形色之间。贯通根与枝，连结内与外。气行，则象生；气滞，则象散。花之为花，不在其瓣，而在其内在之流转。

What is at work here is a living process.

It is not in form, nor in color, but between them. It moves through root and branch, connecting inner and outer. When this movement flows, form appears; when it is obstructed, form disperses. What makes a flower what it is is not its petals, but its inner activity.

风过其田  Wind Over the Field

From Life Series | 2026

Marker on Linen Canvas

画亦如此。

不是观其形而为之，而是得其生机。墨若先行于气，则浮；色若滞后于机，则断。唯有退一步，让气息自行，方能于无意之间生成其气象。

于是，作画不在“作”，而在“待”。

待一口气之将至，候一瞬机之自明。及其至也，不假思索，不待安排。笔落之处，自有秩序；未落之处，亦含回响。

此时，画不再为物，而为生息流转。

花期有约，却不在约中。

它不属于春，也不属于人。它只属于那一刻气与时恰好相遇的瞬间。此瞬不可执，执则失；不可留，留则滞。

唯有忘之，方可得之。

所以，花期不在枝头，在心中。

Painting is the same.

It is not about reproducing form, but about realizing what is alive. If ink comes before the inner movement is ready, it becomes superficial; if color comes too late, it becomes disconnected. Only by stepping back and allowing the process to unfold can the image come into being naturally.

Thus, painting does not lie in making, but in waiting.

Waiting for something to arrive; waiting for a moment to become clear. When it comes, there is no need for planning or arrangement. Where the brush falls, order appears; where it does not, resonance remains.

At this point, painting is no longer an object, but the unfolding of a living process.

The flowering has its moment, yet it is not bound by it.

It does not belong to spring, nor to human intention. It belongs only to that instant when inner movement and timing come together. This moment cannot be grasped—if grasped, it is lost; it cannot be held—if held, it becomes rigid.

Only by letting it go can it be realized.

Thus, the flowering is not on the branch, but within the heart.

心若得其机，则无时不春；心若失其度，则虽春亦寒。人与花之别，不过在是否自知其“时”。

知其时，则不争而自至；失其时，则求之愈远。

所以，花开无言，而尽其道。

If the heart accords with its time, there is spring at all times; if it loses its measure, even spring feels cold. The difference between human and flower lies only in whether one knows one’s own time.

To know it is to arrive without striving; to lose it is to seek ever further away.

Thus, the flower blooms without words, yet fully realizes its way.

孙宏涛（雍城子 / Joseph Sun）

旅美当代艺术家，新彩墨与马克笔绘画双体系的构建者与实践者，立足东方美学语境，致力于推进传统媒介在当代绘画语言中的创新与可持续演进。

举办多次个人展览，出版多部专著，作品与理论文章发表于专业平台并多次获得相关学术奖项。作品曾在中国美术馆、山东省美术馆、浙江美术馆、江苏美术馆、广东美术馆、陕西省美术博物馆、西安美术馆、上海美术馆等专业机构展出与收藏，并在美国、法国、日本、德国、捷克、马来西亚、韩国、印度等国家传播。

现为中国美术家协会会员、美国国际艺术协会（AIAP-IAA）会员。

更多信息与展讯可检索：“画家 孙宏涛”。

Hongtao Sun (Yongchengzi / Joseph Sun)

Contemporary artist based in the United States, founder and practitioner of a dual-system painting approach integrating Polychrome Ink and Marker-Based Painting. Rooted in an Eastern aesthetic framework, his work is dedicated to advancing the innovation and sustainable development of traditional media within contemporary painting language.

He has held multiple solo exhibitions, published several monographs, and received numerous academic awards. His works and theoretical writings have been featured on professional platforms. His works have been exhibited and collected by institutions including the National Art Museum of China, Shandong Art Museum, Zhejiang Art Museum, Jiangsu Art Museum, Guangdong Museum of Art, Shaanxi Art Museum, Xi’an Art Museum, and Shanghai Art Museum, and have been presented internationally across the United States, France, Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic, Malaysia, South Korea, and India.

He is a member of the China Artists Association and the International Association of Art (AIAP-IAA).

For more information and exhibitions, please search: “Artist Hongtao Sun”.