Circa 1920 Chinese Yangliuqing Longevity New Year Painting

Description

Chinese New Year paintings (nian hua) are colorful folk paintings created to celebrate the annual Spring Festival. Drawn or printed … more Chinese New Year paintings (nian hua) are colorful folk paintings created to celebrate the annual Spring Festival. Drawn or printed by folk artists in regional studios, nian hua paintings featured exaggerated characters with bright and contrasting colors. Put up around the home to beckon luck and happiness in the coming year, most paintings depicted mythical guardians, scenes from folk operas, or auspicious symbols of good luck.

This New Year painting depicts a young woman with a child and is hand-painted in a palette of red, blue, orange, and bright pink. Belonging to a genre known as 'beauties and babies,' the painting represents a harmonious family life. The young boy holds a ripe peach, a symbol of longevity. The early 20th century painting is from the town of Yangliuqing, China's center of traditional New Year's paintings, known for its combination of woodblock printing and lacquer hand-painting. less