"Nothing Else Today" is a new collection of Zhang Lelu's works, which contains a selection of 250 paintings from 2015 to 2023, depicting black cats and white cats with white fur for three meals and four seasons, allowing us to experience a simple, honest cat-like philosophy of life in the details and attitudes of their daily lives.
"There is nothing else to do today", I have to admit that the title alone is enough to attract you and me, a simple five words, but it writes the state of life we are most looking forward to. The world is chaotic, and we want to be more pure and comfortable, but we don't know how to get it. Therefore, life needs a little Zen and wisdom, so that we can be quiet with the years and gain a bit of leisure and leisure.
This adorable cat has been born for many years, and he often appears in our field of vision, passing us by in a casual moment. It was my first official meeting with Momohei, but I fell in love with him at first sight. Yes, I would rather use "him" to describe it, because his food, clothing, housing, and transportation, his laughter and scolding are so natural and kind, just like an old friend around us, so familiar to us, watching his every word and deed, every move, we also seem to be able to empathize with him, and follow him to deeply experience the bits and pieces of life.
Life is picturesque, painting in life, and the free Momo Hei always lives a relaxed and leisurely life. In the bright spring light, pick a few flowers, listen to the birdsong, feel leisurely in the blooming flowers; in the middle of summer, or feel the clear sunshine, or watch the heavy rain pour, count the sunny days of life; in the beautiful autumn, drink a cup of tea, feel the cool autumn breeze; in the bleak winter, eat a delicious meal, taste the fireworks of life...... A picture, a line of words, the ink smudged painting and the free and transparent words complement each other, sometimes we can't help laughing, sometimes we make us very warm.
"Floating life can be a cat?" loves food, often lazy, contented and happy, but also often thinks about life, this is people's description of Mo Mo Hei, but why not our yearning for him? Yes, I think every ordinary person hides a little envy in his heart, envy his leisure and freedom, but in the end we can't be him, just like Zhang Lelu said in "Floating Cat" "can't be, can't be". Life always has its ups and downs and troubles, and this is the truest appearance of life, maybe we will never be able to live such a lazy and carefree life, but so what? Because this cute black cat has created a different kind of cave for us outside of busyness and anxiety, so that we can stop and rest for a while when we are tired, to feel another kind of comfort and peace in life.
As the author says, "The beauty of life is nothing but the details that are everywhere in the eyes of those who have a heart", and this time we found them, picked them, and owned them. We feel the ordinariness of the days in the narration, and also experience the freedom and joy behind it.
Life requires us to be sincerely engaged, to study attentively, to concentrate on work, to live attentively, and then to retain enthusiasm and hope, to integrate self-consistency into daily life, and then, to feel leisure in the ordinary. Today, there is nothing else to do, you and I are at ease.