Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room T1
January 2, 2010 (Sat) - January 31, 2010 (Sun)
Many subjects found in Chinese flower and bird paintings are symbols of people's hopes and prayers. Pines, for example, represent longevity; bamboo represents virtue, peace and the prosperity of one's decendants; and plums represent nobility and refinement. Other symbols include:
-Lotus flowers, aquatic birds and fish, which represent abundance;
-Peonies, which represent wealth;
-Peaches, which symbolize longevity;
-Grapes, gourds and pomegranates, which symbolize prosperous descendants;
-Phoenixes, which represent a peaceful world; and
-Bats, which represent fortune.
Among these, pines and bamboo, which retain their bold green foliage even during the bitterly cold months, and plum blossoms, which bloom ahead of other flowers and possess a pure perfume, came to symbolize moderation and unwavering purpose and are known together as "the Three Friends of Winter." This developed into a familiar theme, and paintings featuring these motifs came to be seen as auspicious. This exhibition presents a selection of Three Friends of Winter and other auspiciously themed paintings from the Ming dynasty to commemorate the New Year.
The calligraphic works illustrate the renmen (literally, "continuous line") style which flourished from the end of the Ming to the beginning of the Qing dynasties. The transition from the Ming to the Qing dynasty, which occurred when the Han people were overtaken by the Manchurians, represents a major turning point in Chinese history. The renmen style, refined at the end of the Ming dynasty, was upheld by the retainers of the Ming emperor, and its distinctive appearance seems to reflect the turbulence of the times. Featuring both powerfully expressive and lyrical pieces, this exhibition showcases the rich variations seen among works by this unique group of calligraphers.