Provenance Acquired by American Legacy Fine Arts directly from the artist
Description Charged with uplifting energy, this beautiful oil painting by Mian Situ is brilliantly executed and appears to emanate its own light. The arrangement of bright magenta, orange, and pink colors creates a sense of exuberance and airiness while the patch of blue anchors the composition. The scene is set in the contemporary west, in San Francisco during the Chinese Festival of the Autumn Moon in October. The young ladies are dressed in traditional silk embroidered tunics in honor of their ancestral culture. The glowing lanterns that will be displayed in celebration of an abundant harvest reflect off their faces and tunics, and bring to mind John Singer Sargent's famous painting Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose.
Artist Statement
“Historians believe that the Chinese first began making lanterns during the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD). In China, people decorate their houses, streets, and towns with red lanterns for festive occasions, such as Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, and the Lantern Festival, also known as Yuan Xiao Festival, a holiday celebrated throughout Asia that honors deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the first month (Yuan) of the lunar calendar. Chinese lanterns are typically red in color and shaped as squares, rectangles, spheres, and ovals and are embellished with red or golden tassels. Some even think of the Lantern Festival as a kind of Valentine's Day when young people are in hopes of finding the love of their lives.”
—Mian Situ
Exhibited Mian Situ: Passion, History and Culture, American Legacy Fine Arts, May 6 – June 11, 2022
48th Annual Prix de West Exhibition, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Oklahoma City, OK, August 1 - September 13, 2020
