Throughout Chinese culture the four seasons have been depicted in art by seasonal changes in the environment or the depiction of certain animals, plants or trees. Deriving from the Chinese philosophical concept of the harmonious balance between yin and yang, the passive female and active male principles of the universe, an appreciation of nature was regarded as crucial to the circulation of qi or energy. Thus a deep connection to nature was considered highly important in the cultivation of the ideal individual.

This exhibition will focus on decorative motifs from nature and the four seasons as used in furniture and scholar’s objects. Using a variety of techniques, these depictions are often used to convey subtle but recognizable meanings. The approach of spring might be depicted by a blossoming orchid whose exquisite characteristics become synonymous with youth, love and beauty, while the emergence of plum blossoms in the intense winter cold is symbolic of endurance in the face of adversity. Bamboo characteristically remains green and upright despite its hollow center throughout the seasons, thus becoming a symbol of longevity, open-mindedness and flexible perseverance. Examples of this can be found in such pieces as a Pair of Southern Official’s Hat Armchairs with the Three Friends of Winter Carving (pine, bamboo, and plum blossoms).

Madeline Fan in the Four Seasons series combines images from her Chinese cultural heritage with contemporary materials and processes to create unique imagery evoking traditional Chinese landscape paintings. Innovatively, she uses materials such as packing tape and vinyl, layered on both sides to create colorfully translucent works.  These tape drawings are reminiscent of silhouette cut-outs, with clean, graphic shapes and edges.  In other areas layering on vinyl creates a subtle tonal range as these pieces interact with light. Installed as screens or suspended from the ceiling, her work divides space yet does so without creating boundaries. In her own words, “Water in a swimming pool refracts and orders design in its own luminosity, in the same way, tape drawings reveal the surprise and story of an unseen structure or gesture in the physical world.”