Roses and Bamboo

Maker(s)
Artist: Huang Binhong (1865-1955)
Historical period(s)
Modern period, l943
Medium
Ink and color on paper
Dimensions
H x W (image): 64.5 x 31.7 cm (25 3/8 x 12 1/2 in)
Geography
China, Beijing
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.246
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Painting
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
bamboo, China, Modern period (1912 - present), rose
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Huang Binhong was a major twentieth-century painter, as well as a scholar of Chinese painting history. He based his art upon the study of ancient traditions, but also imbued his works with a bold spontaneity that influenced younger painters. Here, the artist’s inscription mentions the master Wang Yuan (active 1328–47) as a source of inspiration, but Huang’s work does not bear any direct relationship to that ancient master. Although best known for his landscapes, Huang’s flower paintings are greatly esteemed for their freshness and vigor. He never pursued a detailed approach in his floral works, believing instead, as he once wrote, that “true resemblance is achieved through non-resemblance.”

Published References
  • Fu Shen. Huang Binhong's Shanghai Period: Landscape Paintings and his Late Floral Works. vol. 18, no. 9 Hong Kong, September 1987. pp. 66-78.
  • Thomas Lawton, Joseph Chang, Stephen Allee. Brushing the Past: Later Chinese Calligraphy from the Gift of Robert Haftield Ellsworth. Exh. cat. Washington. p. 125.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Whistler's Neighborhood
Google Cultural Institute
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