Small paintings, large meanings

“The Chinese don’t discard the old,” said Dennis Lee, founder and volunteer of the Portland-based Lan Su Chinese Garden. “They always retain it and may have an overlay of something that’s more contemporary, so it kind of grows that way.”

Lee and the Chinese Garden volunteers are coming to Portland State’s Urban and Public Affairs Center Saturday, Feb. 4, as part of an ongoing series of cultural programs and discussions. The First Saturday program, held each month, is running with this year’s theme, “Windows into Beauty and Meaning.”

This Saturday’s topic will be presented by Dr. Ann Wetherell of PSU. Wetherell has a doctorate in Chinese art history and has taught Asian and Western art history at several colleges and universities throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“Ann is going to do a talk on small scenes with an emphasis on bird and flower paintings of China,” Lee said. “It’s going to be looking at the relationship between nature and man.”

While many such discussions have focused on broader landscape paintings, Wetherell will be pointing out the symbolism tied to the imagery of smaller, more specific works, many of which date back as early as the 13th century and the Song Dynasty.

“It is my study that flowers and birds are particularly multivalent,” Wetherell said. “They convey much more than an auspicious symbol, and the reading of them is informed by knowledge of poetry.”

Poetry and knowledge, according to Wetherell, were key to the culture of China. Chinese artists tied the allegory of their work to the poetry of their contemporaries. The meanings contained in their art were varied, layered and often well-hidden.

In one example, a loyalist of the Song Dynasty, after its fall, painted a detailed depiction of flowers and a pear branch. The painting, linked to the poetry that inspired the work, represents the concubine of the dead king.

“To look at the pear and blossoms, you wouldn’t think that. You might think about ephemerality; yes, it’s going to fade,” Wetherell said. “But you would not necessarily associate that with a political statement, and that’s what he makes with this painting.”

It is these stories that resonate with those interested in the Chinese art, according to Lee.

“That’s why culture and layers of hidden meanings have a strong appeal,” he said. “She’s going to talk about how these impact the design of the gardens and how the gardens have perhaps impacted these compositions. These paintings have had an impact on the design of literati gardens.”

The literati gardens, or “scholars’ gardens,” were pristine natural places in China, often located in the middle the cities. These gardens served an important civic and cultural function, particularly to the elite Chinese scholars. In addition, they represented a sort of peace and calm, according to Lee.

“What people find is that it has a kind of calming effect on you, and they don’t know why,” he said. “It’s designed that way so that you have a space that provides serenity, contemplation. What they don’t realize is that it represents a balance in aesthetics, in harmony, and reflects the culture of the Chinese civilization.”

“They are meant to be microcosms of a much larger world,” Wetherell said. “There are artificial rockeries, waterfalls and plants. You’re supposed to be able to walk through those and look out and see different vistas. It provided an escape from the city, to be able to go into a garden that replicated in miniature the greater natural world.”

Although the works she will speak of portray the serenity of the literati gardens, the meanings of these works often channel solemn ideas about loss and the ephemeral. “Especially in poetry, there is an emphasis on the melancholy and the really strong emotions that come about from loss and grief,” she said.

The First Saturday program has its own history, having featured lectures and programs over the past 11 years. It began in the Lan Su Tea House but swiftly outgrew the space. It then moved to multiple locations before reaching Portland State in September 2011.

The Lan Su Garden, which opened September 2000, was designed after the gardens of Portland’s sister city, Suzhou. Located in downtown Portland’s Old Town/Chinatown district, it remains a place to explore the myriad facets of Chinese culture.

“To study the Chinese culture, it’s endless and complicated,” Lee said. “The garden doesn’t emphasize things. The beauty of the garden is understated. Those things kind of reveal themselves as you come to understand the garden and its underlying cultural foundation.”