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Art News:
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Media only: Deborah Galyan (202) 633-0504
Amanda Williams (202) 633-0271
Freer Gallery Presents First U.S. Exhibition on Childhood in
Chinese Art
Paintings and Ceramics Spanning Two Millennia Reveal
the Lives of
Children in Chinese Culture
A
collection of Chinese paintings, ceramics and slate carving depicting children
at play from the past two millennia will be on view Nov. 18 through May 23,
2010, at the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art. "Children at Play in Chinese
Painting," drawn from the collection of the Freer, is the first exhibition to
be organized on the theme in the United States. The
exhibition includes 36 objects highlighting the effervescence of youth. Silken
scrolls depict young school children teasing each other over lessons, rural
boys flitting through idyllic nature scenes while herding oxen and urban
toddlers jumping rope to the beat of a striking gong. The images are simple and
amusing, yet revelatory of the important
role children play in Chinese civic life. 
"This
show brings a popular Chinese theme to light," said Joseph Chang, curator of
Chinese art, who organized the exhibition. "Children are considered blessings
and symbols of good luck in Chinese culture."
Images
of children were especially popular from the 10th century onward, during the
Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, reflecting the desire for offspring,
especially males, which permeated all sectors of Chinese society. Professional
artists sold paintings to the general public, who bought them as tokens of good
luck or gave them as gifts. Emperors hoping for male heirs commissioned
artworks depicting up to 16 children, a number considered auspicious due to
popular stories of an ancient emperor whose 16 children helped him rule.
One
such object in the exhibition, a Ming Dynasty blue and white "boys jar," was
commissioned by Emperor Jiajing and depicts 16 lively youngsters cavorting
through an abstracted garden setting.
Chang
organized the exhibition to reflect "the striking contrast between the lives of
rural and urban children." Rural children are depicted in rugged, natural
landscapes. They engage in solitary activities, such as herding livestock or
fishing, that contribute to the prosperity of the family farm. Urban children,
on the other hand, are found in contained environments, such as brightly
colored gardens, where their activities are closely monitored by mothers and
female attendants.
Although female children are
rarely represented, mothers are commonly portrayed, benignly watching their
young boys growing into men. Whether rural or urban, male or female, the
message is the same for all Chinese children: You are the future, but take time
now for play.
The
Freer Gallery of Art, located at 12th Street and Independence Avenue S.W., and
the adjacent Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, located at 1050 Independence Ave. S.W.,
are on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
every day, except Dec. 25, and admission is free. The galleries are located
near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue and Orange lines. For more
information about the Freer and Sackler galleries and their exhibitions,
programs, tours and other events, the public is welcome to visit
www.asia.si.edu. For general Smithsonian information, the public may call (202)
633-1000 or TTY (202) 633-5285.
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Photo Credit:
Children Playing in a Garden, China, Ming dynasty,
1368-1644 Album leaf; ink and color on silk, Gift of Charles Lang Freer
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Freer Sackler Gallery | 1050 Independence Avenue SW | Washington, DC | DC | 20560
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