Past Exhibitions
- Chinese Paintings with Auspicious Imagery
- February 10, 2015 - March 15, 2015
The Chinese celebrate the New Year according to the lunar calendar, which usually falls a month or more later than our current calendar. In 2015, Chinese New Year falls on February 19. The current exhibition honors this important holiday, also known as the Spring Festival, by featuring Chinese paintings with celebratory themes. In addition to images of auspicious animals and plants are paintings that express visual rebuses or puns. In Chinese, the some animals, plants, and other objects have positive connotations because their names are homophonous with lucky words or sayings. For example, egrets and lotuses symbolize passing the civil service examination, and cats symbolize longevity. These paintings give a sense of the various hopes and prayers held by Chinese of old.
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