This wall scroll is for lovers of flower and bird: a flower-and-bird scene, painted in a relaxed classical style. Bird-and-blossom has long been a beloved subject, and here you see why — it carries the entire composition. What makes it work are the particulars: daylily, orange and yellow, painted with a light, sure touch.
Done in colorful gongbi, this flower-and-bird piece sits well beside antiques — kindred, not copied. Beyond the looks, there is meaning: daylilies ease a mother's worry — the flower of filial care. The coloring is warm yellows and lively, varied color, in the mineral-pigment manner that ages gracefully. There is high summer in this scroll — full bloom, thick green, the long light of the season. The tall, narrow format is part of the pleasure — you read it downward, the way you'd stroll a path.
Decent light, a clear stretch of wall — that is the whole installation manual. A dependable gift for someone growing a Chinese art collection — or just beginning one. It is a fine example of daylily and orange Chinese painting, the kind of piece that grows on you.
