Tao Yuanming Admiring a Pine Tree and Chrysanthemums
Artist
Au Ho-nien
(Chinese, 1935 - 2024)
Date2018
MaterialsInk and colors on paper
DimensionsH. 38 9/16 in x W. 24 7/16 in, H. 98 cm x W. 62 cm (image); H. 72 7/16 in x W. 31 1/8 in, H. 184 cm x W. 79 cm (overall)
Credit LineGift of the Au Ho-nien Cultural Foundation
Object number2019.76
DepartmentChinese Art
ClassificationsPainting
On View
Not on viewSigned鈐印
豪年(朱文)，歐介(白文)，天寬樓主(白文)
InscribedHermit Tao Yuanming, Pine Tree, and Chrysanthemum.
—Au Jie, Ho-nien at 84, the clear summer of 2018.
款識
陶公松菊三徑圖。戊戌清夏八十四歲老人歐介豪年。
More InformationIn this painting, the poet and lyricist Tao Yuanming (Tao Qian, 365– 427) stands behind a bamboo fence, between an old pine tree and clusters of yellow chrysanthemums. Au Ho-nien’s triangular composition features a famous line from Tao’s autobiographical poem, “Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence; Gazing leisurely at the southern mountain.”
Tao Yuanming lived in seclusion in a remote region of southeast China. His withdrawal from the “tainted world” earned him esteem, and his wide range of idealistic thoughts remains a source of inspiration for writers and painters today. His ideas of seclusion are associated with many types of cultivation, including growing chrysanthemums, pines, and peaches.
