Beautiful Purple Peony Flowers
The title of this piece, written in Chinese, means "Auspicious Atmosphere Coming from the East". The rest of the characters include a special way to write the year painted (2008) and the artist's signature.
Please note that this artwork is painted on handmade xuan paper. You may find fibers, specks, or husks embedded in the paper. These are not defects, but rather proof of the handmade nature of this artwork.
The peony is the unofficial national flower of China. It dates back far into Chinese history. In fact if you were alive from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty (618-1279AD), you would see these flowers all around the Emperor's palace. It was the favorite flower many people from the Emperor down to the common peasants.
Legend has it that the emperor's concubines would often wear peonies in their hair vying for favor from the emperor.
In an interesting twist, the roots of this family of flower are often used in Chinese herbal medicine.
This work was done in Chengdu by Huang Xin'an (Pronounced a little bit like "who-ong shin un") from the Sichuan (Szechwan) Province of China.
After I bought this work in Chengdu, I later returned to Beijing and had it mounted as a traditional hand-made silk scroll in our workshop. This makes a nice, ready-to-hang piece of wonderful hand-painted art.
The story behind how I found this art...
I lost track of Huang Xin'an after my last trip to Chengdu. His phone number was out of order, and I was disappointed that I could not contact him to get more of his paintings.
I make the decision to go to Chengdu on my new art-buying trip mostly because of him.
After 15 hours on a slow train, I arrive in Chengdu. I check-in at Sam's Guesthouse (a hangout for backpackers from around the world, and a hostel with reasonably-priced beds). After a much-needed shower, I head out to find Huang Xin'an.
Taxis drive at the speed-of-light in Chengdu (the city boasts over 1000 fatal auto accidents per year), I arrive in no-time at the place I last found Mr. Huang. Sure enough, as I walk down the alley toward his gallery, he sees me and runs out to greet me. I'm really happy to see him, and the feeling is mutual.
I tell him how I came to Chengdu just to buy art from him (after not being able to reach him on the phone). He is so honored that I think he wants to hug me. He offers me a chair, and says he's painted a lot of work over that last 9 months with both me and my customers in mind. I was also honored by this gesture. He shows me a lot of new work in styles that I like.
I spend 2 days with Mr. Huang and we talk about a lot of new ideas and artwork that I think my western customers will like. He offers to close his gallery for a few days, and paint the art that I asked for. So I took a few days to meet and visit other artists in Chengdu. When I return to Mr. Huang's gallery, I am not disappointed. He did such a great job, words can't describe.
