“我爱花，但从无工夫侍候娇嫩的花，所以不栽，但孩子们随便种的向日葵、野菊、木槿、葫芦等却疯长。有一株木槿长得高过屋檐，满身绿叶素花，花心略施玫红，这丛浓郁的木槿遮盖了我家的破败门庭，并吸引我作了一大幅油画，此画已流落海外，几度被拍卖，常见图录，但画的母体却早已枯死了，愿艺术长寿。”这是吴冠中先生在自传中说出的话。先生话语中所描述的生活环境是他在50年代之后就一直居住的北京什刹海畔的会贤堂大杂院，这也是吴先生一生中住得最久的一处住址。我们在这里看到《木槿》正是先生在自传中提到的那件作品，它记录了大师在上世纪那段岁月中的生活。从他的自传中，我们可以看出，先生对这件作品是比较看重的，这里面蕴含了吴冠中对自然与人的关系问题的思考。画面中郁郁葱葱的木槿花铅华洗尽，只有点点绿叶映衬着素雅的小花、显得温馨静谧，就像一股无声的生命之泉在画面中汩汩溢出，永不枯泽。吴冠中的笔法是那么清新、自然，看着大师的作品，人们仿佛不仅是用眼睛在观赏，而是在呼吸他的画，呼吸着他画中的花朵和生命，我们似乎也被先生发出的“愿艺术长寿”的感慨所感染，顿感身心焕然一新。

　　"I love flowers, but I had never free time to plant the tender and delicate flowers, therefore I had never plant flowers. But sunflowers, chrysanthemums, hibiscus and calabashes planted by children casually flourished in the yard. There was a hibiscus growing higher than the eaves flourished with green leafs and white flowers. This clump of blossomed hibiscus has covered the ruined entrance of my house, and attracted me to make a large size oil painting, which was taken abroad and was auctioned several times. The original hibiscus model of the work had died, I hoped art ong life." This is what Wu Guanzhong said in his autobiography. Wu Guanzhong described in the words his living conditions since 1950s in Beijing HuixianTang courtyard near Sheshahai where he lived until 1980s. The Hibiscus is precisely that one Wu Guanzhong mentioned in his autobiography, it recorded master's life at a certain period. From his autobiography, we may read that Wu Guanzhong had thought this work as one important piece in his life, which contained Wu Guanzhong’s viewpoint to the relationship between nature and human's life.