China 2000 Fine Art takes great pleasure in presenting “Literati Musing: Inscriptions on Chinese Paintings and Scholar Objects” which will be shown in the gallery at 434A East 75th Street in Manhattan and in an online exhibition on our website at China2000FineArt.com. 

Like the contemporary Twitter, ancient inscriptions on Chinese art were the momentary (and now art historically monumental) thoughts about society, relationships, politics, and aesthetics of the literati.  For our exhibition, we have gathered together objects for the scholar’s desk and Chinese paintings that bear inscriptions by eminent scholars and calligraphers of Chinese history.  Their words literally etched in stone or wood or written with indelible ink on paper provide clues to where they were at particular times in their lives and offer their knowledge about the object or the painting upon which they inscribe their thoughts.

Just to illustrate a few of the exhibits, Deng Shiru, a very important calligrapher and seal carver from the 18th century, has carved a Ming dynasty poem on a soapstone seal-paste box, Ding Jing, another important 18th century calligrapher, has carved a Tang dynasty poem on an Anhui inkstone, Chang Dai-chien, the great 20th century painter, has inscribed a painting by a wonderful artist whose works are not generally known but who was with him in Dunhuang in 1941, Lu Yanshao, another famous name in 20th century Chinese art, has inscribed his thoughts on a western style painting of his contemporary, Wu Hufan has given authentication to a painting by Xiao Junxian, and Pu Ru, a great artist and member of the Manchu imperial family, has inscribed a poem on a masterpiece painting by his student, An Ho. 

Thankfully, these inscriptions are not, like Twitter, momentary flights into cyberspace but have been handed down with the artwork from generation to generation for our education and appreciation. 

EXHIBITION DATES:  SEPTEMBER 8 – 15, 2010

GALLERY HOURS:   MONDAY – FRIDAY, 11 – 5 or BY APPOINTMENT.

CONTACT:   KAREN WENDER; www.China2000FineArt.com