Bamboo, Rock and Tree
Zhan Jingfeng (Chan Ching-feng)
Description
Scholar-amateur painters in China spoke of bamboo, plum, orchids, and chrysanthemums as the “four gentlemen” élåNéq. Each of these plants was associated with an admirable Confucian trait. Bamboo, for instance, symbolized resilience, as it can spring back after the harshest gale. Old trees and rocks suggest longevity and endurance. These meanings became rather conventional over time, much like the imagery in modern American holiday cards. Still, the choice of motifs in any given painting was not arbitrary. Fan paintings, especially, were often done as personal gifts and may contain private codes of meaning unknown to all but the artist and the recipient.
Maribeth Graybill, Senior Curator of Asian Art
Exhibited in "Flora and Fauna in Chinese Art," April 6, 2002 - December 1, 2002.
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