Anyone who has ever viewed even a small sampling of Asian art knows that bird and floral imagery is quite prevalent in it. What most people may not know, however, is that the use of birds and flowers as artistic subjects in Asian art is deeply rooted in the historical and religious traditions of Asian countries.
A recently opened exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA), entitled "The Brilliance of Bird-and-Flower Painting: Gems of Asian Art," provides the viewer great insight into this artistic tradition.
The exhibition, drawn entirely from the permanent collection at the MFA, examines how this artistic tradition has been adopted by many Asian countries, including China, India, Japan and Korea. By grouping the artwork according to country, viewers may examine each work of art within its cultural context while simultaneously drawing comparisons between the artwork of each country as they move through the exhibition.
Along with the artwork of each country, the extensive wall text gives viewers insight into the background and conditions from which this use of imagery developed. Without this incredibly useful information, the viewer would not fully understand the importance of the artistic works. The wall text gives new meaning to what might otherwise appear as just "pretty" images of nature.
The first pieces of artwork in the exhibition originate from China. Background information explains the importance of wordplay in the Chinese artistic tradition. Chinese artists take advantage of the way in which various Chinese words share identical pronunciations; the word for "heron" is "lusi" and the verb "to think" is "si."
Thus, the depiction of nine herons in Chinese art recalls the Confucian principle of the Nine Thoughts, which refer to the rules of proper conduct for gentlemen. With this background knowledge, the Chinese scrolls on display, produced by means of a variety of brush, ink and wash techniques, take on a new level of meaning.
In contrast to the Chinese scrolls depicting herons and marshland, there are also several other Chinese pieces, including hanging scrolls decorated with bright blues and gold, as well as a long hand scroll whose vibrant floral imagery recalls the colors of spring.
The exhibition's Indian artwork abounds with detailed floral imagery. The 19th-century dagger hilt ink and wash painting illustrates the intersection of floral imagery and lethal weapons with its adornment of narcissus blossoms upon the dagger hilt. The tradition of floral imagery came to India in the medieval period from Muslim artists across central Asia and Iran, for whom intricate floral designs were a focal point in Islamic art and poetry. Vibrant, intensely colored watercolors depict the importance of floral imagery in religious tradition; both Hindu gods and seated Buddhas sit upon lotus thrones, or "padmasana."
Japanese artists adopted the Buddhist symbolism of the phoenix and the lotus, yet the Japanese artistic tradition was centered upon seasonal changes and the depiction of the natural world as previously illustrated in poetry. One piece, a large folding screen, read from right to left, charts the seasonal progression in the wetlands from the first signs of spring to late summer. The "Ukiyo-e prints," depicting the "floating world" of the theaters and brothels in urban entertainment districts, fuse Chinese and Japanese artistic traditions with European influence, resulting in a quite distinct and eclectic vision.
While the exhibition focuses on Asian paintings, the collection is certainly not limited to that style. Arranged among the many scrolls and hanging paintings, there is a wide variety of ceramics, stoneware and other objects on display. There is 12th-century Korean celadon-glazed stoneware adorned with ducks and various birds, as well as a beautiful Chinese porcelain cup decorated with butterflies. The surprise at the end of the exhibition is a small case of Japanese sword fittings crafted from gold, copper and silver, illustrating sparrows, bamboo and cherry blossoms.
This new exhibition at the MFA, on display until June 22, will surely delight any viewer with its diverse collection of artwork spanning across Asia. Even those who know nothing about Asian art will benefit, since the thoughtful wall texts give valuable insight into the symbolic messages depicted by the artists.
