Ye Luying's illustration of An Ode to the Goddess of Luo. (Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn)
"An intoxicating dream ends and people will eventually face the reality. An Ode to the Goddess of Luo portrays the love within sight but beyond reach, which echoes a universal sense of loneliness. I was so touched by its slight tinge of sorrow when I first read it," Ye said.
The most famous interpretation of the prose is Nymph of the Luo River by Gu Kaizhi, a celebrated painter of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (AD 317-420). Gu's work also ranks as one of the top 10 traditional paintings in Chinese art history.
"Gu is my idol. His representation of the nymph and the legend is flawless. I need to blaze a new trail by infusing modern elements into the original characters. So I integrate this classical story with contemporary art style."
