Absorb the Past; Abandon the Present
Qian Hui'an (Chinese, 1833–1911)
1800s–1900s
Medium
Accordion-style album of 10 painted leaves; ink and color on silk
Dimensions
44 × 35 cm · each painting: 33 × 33 cm
Classification
Painting
Department
Chinese Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
Accession Number
2023.163
Rights
Public Domain
Tags
Asian (from 1900 to present)male
About this artwork
Qian Huian, active in Shanghai, was best known for his paintings of beautiful women, and historic and mythological figures, rendered in a distinct style. His figures appear eccentric and the color palette pale to pink. The album’s title, Absorb the Past, Abandon the Present, reflect the desire to find refuge in China’s Past, as the country was going through the devastating Taiping rebellion at the time the paintings were created.