A rare exhibit of Chinese painting in Manhattan is acclaimed for its extraordinary beauty and significant masterpieces. The flagship show Flowers on a River: The Art of Chinese Flower and Bird Painting, 1368-1911, Masterpieces from Tianjin Museum and Changzhou Museum is on view at the China Institute Gallery, renowned for its world-class themed exhibitions of exceptional Chinese treasures. The exhibit is the largest such survey to be seen outside of China and the first in the United States.
On view until June 25 Flowers on a river features over 100 masterpieces by 59 artists, spanning 500 years through the Ming and Qing dynasties. The groundbreaking exhibition highlights the academic, literary and individual styles of each artist. The Chinese concept of “humanity in harmony with nature” is examined, as is the use of a special language of coded images to communicate meaning, which is central to Chinese art and culture. . Flower and bird painting is one of the three major genres of Chinese painting, alongside landscape and figure painting.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is the hand scroll “Flowers on a River” (1697) by the eminent master painter of 17th-century China, Zhu Da (1626-1705), also known as Bada Shanren. A member of the Ming Dynasty imperial family, this hand scroll is his most important work, as well as the most renowned masterpiece in the history of Chinese flower and bird painting. The work showcases its unconventional composition and remarkable freehand brushwork, infused with abstract and conceptual elements. Complemented by his unique poetry and calligraphy, the painting interweaves lotus and orchid imagery in a landscape, illustrating the artist’s life journey. Through its poetic verses and calligraphic expressions, the hand scroll delves into deep spiritual realms.
This exhibit also explores the natural world in the context of human experience, revealing the connections between gender imagery and the country’s daily life and social customs. The Ming and Qing periods saw the rise of female artists who excelled in painting flowers and birds. Flowers on a river includes works by eight female artists, with scrolls by two of the most acclaimed, Ma Quan and Yun Bing. Born into artistic families in the Qing Dynasty, they rose to prominence through the legacy of their fathers and grandfathers and were celebrated as “the two absolute talents”.
Flowers on a river is on view until June 25 at China Institute Gallery located at 100 Washington Street (enter at 40 Rector Street) in New York City.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit chinainstitute.org.
