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Mandarin Fine Art Gallery Newsletter
February 2011


Chinese Rabbit

2011: Year of the Metal Rabbit

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In Chinese mythology, the Rabbit is a symbol of endurance and its essence is said to have originated from the moon. During the Chinese mid-Autumn festival when the moon is at its best, Chinese children carry lit paper lanterns made in the form of a Rabbit and climb the hills to admire the Moon Hare.

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the year and ends with the next full moon 15 days later. The Chinese calendar is based on a combination of lunar and solar movements. The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days, so in order to "catch up" with the solar calendar, the Chinese insert a new month once every few years, the same as adding on a day during a leap year. This is why, according to the solar calendar, the Chinese New Year falls on a different date each year. Rabbit years come fourth in the cycle of the Chinese New Year and occur every twelve years. Each year also contains one of the five elements in either its Yin or Yang form, and each sign of the Chinese Zodiac combined with these elements will result in a pairing that will only occur once during each 60 year cycle of the Chinese Calendar. The year of the Metal Rabbit 2011 is February 3 to January 22, 2012.

     Chinese Lanterns Temple  
 

The Year of the Metal Rabbit is a peaceful year, very much welcomed after the fierce Year of the Tiger. The year's element, Yin Metal, provides a strength, resilience and intensity to the Rabbit. We can allow ourselves some well deserved rest after the encounters of the year before. We are offered the opportunity to enjoy new luxuries and to find new appreciation in luxuries we have taken for granted. This year marks a de-emphasis on the rules and formalities which we may typically allow to govern us and a greater emphasis on leisure and an intuitive approach to our decisions.

 
Yibu - Contemporary Ink Wash Paintings
 

From now until April, Mandarin Fine Art Gallery will be previewing contemporary ink and wash paintings by Yibu. Exhibited nationally in group and solo exhibitions in China and Australia, this is the first time Yibu's work is being presented in the United States.

    Yibu Portrait
 

Ink and Wash Painting was first developed in China during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). In Chinese legend, an artist named Zhang Seng You was asked to paint a mural in a temple consisting of four dragons, but he left the pupils from their eyes. When the Abbot asked him why, he explained that if he painted the pupils the dragons would come alive. When the Abbot insisted, Zhang proceeded to paint two of the dragons eyes and they roared to life and flew away just as he had claimed. The dragons that had no pupils stayed on the wall.   

 
 

Yibu Red Guard 
 

Yibu - Red Guard, ink wash on paper, 2010
 

Yibu takes this traditional technique and applies it to contemporary subject matter, synthesizing the artistic practices of ancient Chinese philosophy and the image-laden modern world. His portrait entitled "Red Guard," utilizes the minimalistic qualities of the medium to depict a soldier in Mao's Red Army. The intuitive brushwork and humble approach to the image presents a unique perspective towards the soldier as subject matter - naïve, childlike, and with a detached expression emphasizing a lack of concern for the individual. Yibu's careful consideration of his subject matter in relation to his technique is evident in his conceptual approach to his paintings, and he champions that to be a pioneer, an artist must possess a "deep understanding of tradition."

 

This story captures the philosophy of ink and wash painting in that the goal is not to simply reproduce the appearance of the subject, but to capture the "soul" of the subject. To paint a horse, the ink wash painter must understand its temperament better than its muscles and bones. To paint a flower there is no need to perfectly match its petals and colors, but it is essential to convey its liveliness and fragrance. In this sense, ink wash painting can be seen as the earliest form of expressionism. 
 

  
About Us

Mandarin Fine Art Gallery features an eclectic selection of Chinese Contemporary Art. All of the artists we represent currently live in China and Tibet; world class artists wtih tremendous talent, amazing creativity and deep, intriguing coneptual approaches. The styles range from realism to expressionism, from surrealism to abstract.

 

   Wang Niandong thumbnail crop   Zhao Kailin thumbnail crop

            Wang Niandong                          Zhao Kailin

 

The subject matter varies from Chinese urban scenes to the most remote and isolated places such as Tibet and Liangshan. The artwork is refreshingly thought-provoking, aesthetically appealing, culturally relevant and executed with exquisiteness and mastery. Mandarin Fine Art Gallery is committed to bringing the finest Chinese Contemporary Art to America and the Western World.

 

Visit our website here.

 

 

Mandarin Fine Art Gallery
1294 S. Coast Hwy Ste. C
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Office: (949) 376-9608




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