Orchids and Red Rock / Chang Ku-nien, Liu Yantao, Gao Yihong

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Record Details

Accession Number
2006/1.132
Title
Orchids and Red Rock
Artist Nationality
Chinese
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
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.
Secondary Keywords
artists
asian
buildings and the land
chinese
chinese painting styles
chinese styles
chinese styles and periods
coating (material)
coating by form
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east asian
flowers (plants)
forms
herbaceous plants
inorganic material
landscapes (environments)
making art
materials
materials by composition
materials by function
natural landscapes
objects we use
painters (artists)
painters by subject of work
paintings
paintings by form
people
people (agents)
people and culture
people by occupation
people in the arts
people in the arts and related occupations
people in the humanities
people in the visual arts
people in the visual arts and related occupations
plants
scroll paintings
settlements and landscapes
styles and periods
styles and periods by region
vegetation and vegetation components
vegetation components
visual works
visual works by medium or technique
woody plants
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Technical Details

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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"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 March 28, 2024.
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