The Yale University Art Gallery is celebrating the Chinese "Year of the Dragon" with a special exhibition devoted to images of dragons, unicorns, phoenixes and other mythical beasts from Asia.
Titled "Dance of the Dragon: Fabulous Beasts in Asian Art," the exhibition is part of a series of thematic installations at the gallery showcasing Yale's collection of Asian art.
The dragon, along with other animals of the Chinese zodiac, is a frequent motif in the art of Asian countries, where it is a symbol of good fortune and beneficent power, according to David A. Sensabaugh, curator of Asian art, who organized the exhibition with assistant curator Sadako Ohki. It is closely associated in East Asia with water as a life-affirming force and is symbolic of the positive element "yang," he says.
The exhibition will trace the development of the dragon theme from its earliest appearances on bronze vessels dating to 1500 B.C. through its late-19th-century use as an emblem of imperial strength and aristocratic status.
Among the artifacts on display are two 13th-century paintings attributed to the monk and painter Fachung Muqi, in which a dragon and tiger are represented as the forces of life and death, respectively; an elaborately embroidered 17th-century Daoist priest's robe; a 21-foot altar hanging from 18th-century Japan; and four prints by the Japanese printmaker Hokusai (1760-1849).
Another mythical creature, the phoenix, was paired with the dragon as a symbol of just rule in Asian art. The dragon and female phoenix, representing the emperor and empress and, more broadly, the union of male and female ("yang" and "yin"), appear together on ceramic vessels shown in the exhibition.
Also featured are works using other animals as a motif, including lions, tigers and horses. A breed of horse native to western Asia was particularly prized in China and was believed to share with the dragon the power to carry souls to immortality, Sensabaugh says.
Several talks related to the exhibition will be offered. On Tuesday, May 23, at 2 p.m., and on Thursday, May 25, at noon, Sensabaugh will speak about the works on view. Alicia Volk, a doctoral candidate in the history of art, will discuss the exhibition on Tuesday, June 20, at 2 p.m. and Thursday, June 22, at noon. The exhibition will remain on view through Aug. 6.
The Yale University Art Gallery, located at 1111 Chapel St., is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday and 1-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. An entrance for persons using wheelchairs is located at 201 York St., with an unmetered parking space nearby. For wheelchair access, call (203) 432-0606. For general information, call (203) 432-0600 or visit the gallery's website at www.yale.edu/artgallery.
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