The orchid and bamboo, classic Chinese brush paintings, were prized by Chinese scholars who positioned the paintings prominently in their studios because, they said, the nature of the orchid and bamboo closely mimicked laudable human virtues. Orchids represented love, beauty and refinement, and bamboo stood for longevity and durability. They were among the four plants the literati identified as “Noble Paragons.” (Also included were the chrysanthemum and plum blossoms.) These two paintings are on ...click for details
These striking Chinese calligraphy panels celebrate two of the most magnificent creatures in Buddhist and Taoist legends--the crane and the dragon. Portraits of cranes, a most admired bird in China, and dragons, chief among reptiles, have appeared for centuries in temples and houses as symbols of admirable traits and good fortune. The calligraphy on one panel reads, "The sea is the world of the dragon," and the companion panel says, "The sky is the homeland of the crane." The ...click for details
Two panels of Chinese calligraphy convey an exotic and compelling vision: “In the amber light . . . hear the sound of drums and dance and fly like a bird.” Written in free-flowing cursive script, these late 20th century panels are mounted on grey silk appropriate for framing or scrolling. A fascinating window into Chinese history, calligraphy began with oracle bone script in the 11th and 12 centuries BC and progressed through various styles of script—seal, clerical, standard, and cursive. Among ...click for details
A village canal scene is done in tawny tones against a gauzy background by contemporary Shanghai painter Zhao-Nian Xi. The artist works primarily in watercolor on paper, and has focused particularly on small villages near Shanghai where life centers on a network of canals. He often chooses to leave portions of his scenes shrouded in mist as he did here with the top of the curved bridge and the more distant house. Zhao-Nian Xi was born in 1944 and was graduated from the Shanghai School of Fine Ar ...click for details
