“The Emperor’s Ecstatic Memory” ©2012 Carlos Aleman
It was after I finished this piece that I began to think about the motion picture, ‘Raise the Red Lantern.’ I remember my guide in Beijing remarking that many Chinese, while appreciating the beauty of the film, felt uncomfortable with the subject matter and sad story. The film depicts a manipulative emperor and competing concubines, one with a innocent face and ‘heart of a scorpion.’ I’m sure there are many differing stories of this sort throughout the centuries. The old man in my painting perhaps represents someone kind and wise, remembering the one true love of his life, and the flowery tears of grief and joy.
