Garden Scene with Cat
Artist
Fang Xiang
(Chinese, born 1967)
Dateca. 2003
MediumInk and color on paper
DimensionsImage: 38 × 16 inches (96.52 × 40.64 cm)
Framed: 49 1/8 × 23 5/16 × 1 3/8 inches (124.78 × 59.21 × 3.49 cm)
Framed: 49 1/8 × 23 5/16 × 1 3/8 inches (124.78 × 59.21 × 3.49 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: the Asian Art Acquisition Fund in memory of Laurence Sickman, and the Oriental Deaccessioning Fund
Object number2022.15
SignedSigned: 方向畫 (painted by FANG Xiang) and a seal 方向之印 (seal of Fang Xiang) at the lower right corner of the painting.
MarkingsNone
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionThe painting depicts a colorful scene of a traditional Chinese garden. A pavilion with red columns stands in the center, and a wood corridor diagonally stretches on the right. A white cat lays on the corridor.Exhibition HistoryBonhams, Fine Asian Works of Art, Los Angeles, June 21, 2022, Lot 153, 84.
Historically, in Chinese culture, a garden is a place to reflect upon nature and oneself. In this modern interpretation, Fang Xiang invites us into the blooming scene in his hometown of Guangzhou. Here, a cat is running, and birds chirp in their cages. Amid the liveliness is a tranquil corner for intellectual stimulation or exchange. An open book and teapot rest on the table—perhaps the owner has just stepped away from reading on this late summer afternoon.
With Lynda Anne Thomas (1950-2021), by 2021.
Purchased from Bonhams, Los Angeles, June 21, 2022, Lot 153. by the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, 2022.
Copyright© Fang Xiang
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