Orchids and Red Rock / Chang Ku-nien, Liu Yantao, Gao Yihong
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2006/1.132
- Title
- Orchids and Red Rock
- Artist Nationality
- Chinese
- Medium and Support
- hanging scroll, ink and light color on paper
- Object Creation Date
- 1980
- Object Creation Place
- Asia
- China or Taiwan
- Taiwan
- Taipei
- Creation Place 1
- Asia
- Creation Place 2
- China or Taiwan
- Creation Place 3
- Taiwan
- Creation Place 4
- Taipei
- Credit Line
- Gift of Dr. Cheng-Yang and Mrs. Shirley Chang
- Dimensions
- 73.6 cm x 42 cm (29 in. x 16 9/16 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- hanging scroll
- Physical Description
- A rough, red rock seems to grow out of the hillside, almost as organically as the orchids growing next to it. Calligraphic text is in the upper left corner.
- Subject Matter
- Literati theory considered paintings modes of personal expression to be created for private occasions in which they were shared and appreciated by circles of friends. The creation of works with peer artists was also an established literati concept and practice. This painting is a cooperative work by Chang Ku-nien and his artist friends. Cooperative work celebrated respectful mutual relationships and reinforced affections within groups of painters. Inscriptions on such works often declare their corporate nature, mentioning all of the artists’ names and specifying who has done what part. It is common for each artist to be responsible for the part of the painting that best reveals his or her talents. Yet who painted what is not clearly indicated in this work; most likely Chang Ku-nien painted the rock while Liu Yantao and Gao Yihong were responsible respectively for the inscription and orchids. Orchids were appealing subjects to scholar-artists, and their elegance and subtle fragrance have long been regarded as the emblem of righteous gentlemen.
- In Orchids and Red Rock, although it was not clearly indicated who did what, Chang most likely painted the rock and his two friends from the Seven Friends Painting Club that he participated, Liu Yantao and Gao Yihong, were responsible for the inscription and orchids respectively. Naturally, in a cooperative work, each artist often takes on a subject best representing his/her talents. Appealing to scholar-artist, the elegance and subtle fragrance of orchids have long been regarded as the emblem of righteous gentlemen, thus a suitable subject for scholars alike.
- Primary Keywords
- hanging scroll
- hanging scrolls
- ink
- literati
- literati (painters)
- orchids
- painting
- rock
- Secondary Keywords
- artists
- asian
- buildings and the land
- chinese
- chinese painting styles
- chinese styles
- chinese styles and periods
- coating (material)
- coating by form
- descriptors
- east asian
- flowers (plants)
- forms
- herbaceous plants
- inorganic material
- landscapes (environments)
- making art
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- materials by function
- natural landscapes
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- plants
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- styles and periods by region
- vegetation and vegetation components
- vegetation components
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- woody plants
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 4256 x 2446
- File Size
- 1 MB
- Record
- 2006/1.132
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2006-sl-1.132/2006_1_132.jpg
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- Full citation
-
"Orchids and Red Rock; Chang Ku-nien, Liu Yantao, Gao Yihong." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2006-sl-1.132/2006_1_132.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.