The Chinese Elements
FIVE CHINESE ELEMENTS My artist Caroline Bonne Muller illustrated artwork for the Bologna Children’s Book Fair as a personal project. Caroline’s chosen theme was the 5 Chinese Elements. The five elements are believed to be the fundamental elements of everything in the universe between which interactions occur. Caroline Bonne Muller has recently completed her second fully illustrated picture book for publication in 2021 - she is available to commission.
“I illustrated the five Chinese Elements because of my fascination with China since I was young. My final collection on the fashion academy, when I was 24, was inspired by chinese minortiy groups. In 2017 my dream came true and I visited China (Shanhai, Yunan and Bejing), it's not that far from Malaysia.” Caroline Bonne Muller
WOOD - ‘The wood element is one that seeks ways to grow and expand. Wood heralds the beginning of life, springtime and buds, sensuality and fecundity. Wood needs moisture to thrive. In Chinese medicine, wood is associated with negative feelings of anger, positive feelings of optimism, patience, and altruism’.
Caroline Bonne Muller
FIRE ‘Fire is the element of heat, summer and enthusiasm; nature at its peak of growth, and warmth in human relationships. Represented by the colour red and a pointed, triangled shape, Fire's motion is upward, hence is associated with dynamic, energetic, passionate, enterprising energies.’
Caroline Bonne Muller
WATER ‘Water is the source of life on this planet. Water has the capacity to flow, infinitely yielding yet infinitely powerful, silent and still, awaiting, flexible, ever changing, a stored potential and often dangerous (flood’s devastation) with the capacity also to nourish and cleanse.’
Caroline Bonne Muller
METAL ‘Metal energy is consolidating and with inward movement, like a flower closing its petals. Represented by the colour white and round shapes, Metal’s motion is determined, forceful, strong, unyielding, self- reliant, reserved and sophisticated.
The symbol of metal is one of a cutting and reforming action, but it is also regarded as a solidifying process, hence it is associated with Autumn’.
Caroline Bonne Muller
EARTH ‘Earth is the element of harvest time, abundance, nourishment, fertility, and the mother to child relationship. This element is also regarded as central to balance and the place where energy becomes downward in movement, a change of seasons. It is the symbol of stability and being properly anchored’.
Caroline Bonne Muller
