10 — Antiques and The Arts Weekly — January 25, 2019

33rd San Francisco Tribal & Textile Art Show, Feb. 7–10 Tribal Art From Africa, Asia, Australia, Oceania & The Americas Returns To Fort Mason Center Pavilion SAN FRANCISCO — The San Fran- works opening at the Los Angeles Coun- naan basketry handmade in Panama cisco Tribal & Textile Art Show, one of ty Museum of Art (LACMA) in the fall today by the indigenous Wounaan tribe, the most important tribal art fairs in of 2019. employing ancient weaving traditions the world, returns to the Fort Mason A second special exhibition, “African passed through generations of indige- Center Pavilion February 8–10. Known Twilight: The Vanishing Rituals and nous peoples in the Darién rainforest. for showcasing tribal artwork and tex- Ceremonies of the African Continent” The San Francisco Tribal & Textile tiles, including many rare and unique with Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher, Art Show kicks off the San Francisco pieces from Africa, Asia, Australia, Oce- will be on view at the fair as well. This Tribal Art Week, which concludes with ania and the Americas, the fair will fea- photography exhibition will have pieces the American Indian Art Show/Marin, ture 70 galleries and dealers from the from a popular exhibition that is cur- at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafa- United States and around the globe and rently at the Bowers Museum in Los el, Calif., February 16–17. The San two special exhibitions — one with piec- Angeles. Covering the past 15 years of Francisco Tribal & Textile Art Show is es of art from Fiji and another celebrat- Beckwith and Fisher’s work in 48 Afri- produced by Objects of Art Shows. ing Africa’s vanishing rituals through can countries, the show is a celebration After a Thursday, February 7, opening photography. Serious collectors and of Africa’s artistry, boundless creativity cocktail preview party and benefit from first-time attendees alike will be and cultural diversity. Photographers 5 to 9 pm, regular show hours will be inspired by the craftsmanship, tech- Beckwith and Fisher will give several Friday and Saturday, February 8 and 9, niques and variety of human expression talks at the fair and sign copies of their 11 am to 7 pm, and Sunday, February offered at this three-day event. just-released book, African Twilight. 10, 11 am to 5 pm. Admission is $15 per As the featured country in 2019, Fiji In addition to these special exhibits, person daily or $25 for run of show. The will be highlighted with the special the main fair features up to 70 galleries cocktail preview tickets are $50. exhibition “The Art of Fiji: The Age of bringing work that ranges from textiles The Fort Mason Center for Arts & Enlightenment in the Pacific,” which and rugs from North Africa, Asia, North Culture is at 2 Marina Boulevard, adja- From the special exhibition “The showcases more than 20 pieces of Fijian America and India to stone and wood cent to the yacht basin along the north- Art of Fiji: The Age of Enlighten- art from the collection of Mark and Car- carvings from Indonesia, Africa and ern waterfront of the San Francisco ment in the Pacific,” Civavonovono, olyn Blackburn. It offers fairgoers a Oceania. Works also span millennia, Bay. For information, www.sanfrancisco- breastplate, early Nineteenth Cen- rare preview of some of the work that with carvings and pottery from prehis- tribalandtextileartshow.com or 310-822- tury, Fiji. will be in a major exhibition of Fijian toric South America as well as Wou- 9145. Art Of YY Ting & Bada Shanren On View At Gianguan Auctions NEW YORK CITY — An exhibition of Overall, apparently insouciant lines high demand. tery he was free to pursue his artistic calligraphy and one-stroke paintings by laid in with the precision of forethought Meanwhile, the portion of the exhibition journey. the Chinese naturalist YY Ting (1902– evoke a sense of joy in viewers. It is little devoted to the works of Da, better Using long tipped lamb’s wool brushes, 1978) opens at Gianguan Auction on wonder that YY Ting’s paintings are in known as Bada Shanren (Man of Eight Bada Shanren was able to wrap strength Wednesday, January 24, and runs through Mountains) offers a look at the origins of in softness and create a certain elasticity February 7. Making the display unique YY Ting’s inspiration. that allowed the natural changes in ink are comparative works by Bada Shanren’s life as an artist was color to show through. This simplistic naturalist Bada Shanren (1521–1527), altered when he broke from Ming formal- approach also allowed a flower to be just a who Ting credited with inspiring his oeu- ism to explore a more naturalistic splash flower, a bird just a bird, and so on. vre. “The Art of YY Ting and Bada Shan- ink approach that had originated with a Bada Shanren’s personal courage and ren” marks the 40th anniversary of Ting’s predecessor named . Incurring the faith ushered in a new era of passing. ire of Emperor Jiajing (1522–1566), he and established him as the founder of A native of Maoming, Guangdong Prov- was reduced to poverty, a state so dismal modern Chinese painting. ince, YY Ting (née Ding Yanyong) was that fellow artists were reluctant to Viewers will see his rejection of formal- sent, at the age of 18, to study western experiment lest they too lose everything. ism in “Calligraphy,” which appears struc- painting in Japan. The experience opened That was further complicated by the tured compared to YY Ting’s but is a huge his eyes not only to technique but also to Manchurian invasion that established departure from the tightly rendered char- the passion of Japanese artists who aban- the . To save himself, Bada acters of the day. doned opportunities in Europe to revital- Shanren became a monk. In the monas- In “Geese,” a free flyer lords over two ize their cultural heritage. Ten years later, waterfowl locked in water. “No Birds in YY Ting saw how the splash ink freehand the Mountains,” painted with a foreshort- of Ming artist Bada Shanren reflected ened perspective of rocks and trees, is a Lao Tzu’s philosophy of open mindedness. chiaroscuro painting that invites endless YY Ting then advanced the concept study. despite a backlash of public opinion. What a difference 500 years makes. Not Just as abstractionists in the West only did China change, the world changed reduced complex visuals to synergistic and art with it. Western artists chal- lines, YY Ting brought nature into focus. lenged the precepts of the academy to cre- He rendered an entire lotus stem in a ate Impressionism, Fauvism, Cubism, simple stroke that captured both the soft- Expressionism. YY Ting, once opened to ness and harshness of nature. When western experimentation, found in his applied to calligraphy, the text was lively, own heritage the seeds of abstraction. Ink as can be seen in “Calligraphy in Cou- splash blazed a new trail of spiritual civi- plet.” lization in eastern oil painting. While he preferred painting historical “The Art of YY Ting & Bada Shanren” subjects such as “Yang Guifei the Concu- opens with a reception in the evening on bine Emerging from the Bath” in vibrant Wednesday, January 23. A lecture hosted color, later one-stroke paintings dominate by the Renwen Society of China Institute the exhibition. In “Landscape,” for exam- accompanies the exhibition. It takes place ple, traditional subject matter rendered on Sunday, January 27, 2 to 3 pm at in flowing, seemingly effortless brush Bada Shanren’s calligraphy (1692) YY Ting’s unmistakable commit- Gianguan Auctions. Daytime hours are 10 lines takes on energy. The same can be flourishes defy the formality of text ment to one-stroke brush work is am to 6 pm, January 24 through February said of minimalist subjects such as “Myna based works during the Ming dynas- evident in this lively piece of callig- 7, at Gianguan Auctions Gallery is at 39 Bird on Willow,” “Sleeping Cat” and “Frogs ty, yet one can see how it enlight- raphy, “Calligraphy in Couplet,” West 56th Street. For information, 212- Coraking in Lotus Pond.” ened YY Ting 500 years later. circa 1969 867-7288 or www.gianguanauctions.com.