"Wild About Parrots"

Maya
Photo courtesy of
Drew Altizer Photography

Arader Galleries, San Francisco, had the pleasure of hosting the San Francisco Zoological Society’s Benefactor party in our galleries on Tuesday, April 20th, 2010. The lively event was co-hosted by Barnaby and Martha Conrad and MacGregor and Mary Read.

The event comes days before the highly anticipated annual ZooFest, the San Francisco Zoological Society’s most celebrated fundraiser, held on April 30th, 2010 at the zoo. This year, the ZooFest's theme is “Wild About Parrots” and focuses on South American parrots whose habitats and lives are continually destroyed through illegal trafficking and deforestation.

A portion of the money raised by ZooFest will go towards the restoration of the San Francisco Zoo’s South American Tropical Forest Aviary and parrot habitat. A moving speech delivered by Executive Director and President of the San Francisco Zoo, Tanya Peterson, highlighted the importance of preserving the lives and habitats of these beautiful birds.

Along with the many benefactors of the San Francisco Zoo, Mark Bittner, author of The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill attended the party and signed copies of his book. Live owls, a chatty parrot and a peregrine falcon, presented by handlers from San Francisco Zoo, also greeted attendees and served as a reminder of the great impact the Zoological Society has on these animals.

The event at Arader Galleries provided the perfect platform for the celebration of ZooFest and the many outstanding accomplishments made by the supporters of the San Francisco Zoo for the care and conservation of animals.

Arader Galleries @ Los Angeles Antiques Show

Arader Galleries is happy to announce that we will be participating in the Los Angeles Antiques show this year! Hope you will stop by to see our extraordinary collection of antique prints and original watercolors!

The Los Angeles Antiques Show
Held at the Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Air Center

Preview Gala to benefit P.S. Arts
Wednesday, April 21, 2010; 6 to 10 p.m.

Show Dates/Times
April 22 - 25, 2010
Thursday - Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For information on the Los Angeles Antiques show, and the lecture series, please visit www.losangelesantiqueshow.com.

Beautiful Chinese Watercolors by Tingqua and his Studio

Whampoa Anchorage with American, British and Danish Shipping

View of Hong Kong Island

Macao from the North

Boca Tigris on the Pearl River

The studio of the artist Tingqua was perhaps the most prolific source of Chinese export painting during the nineteenth century. Located at 16 China Street, Guangzhou, the school specialized in gouache and watercolor paintings influenced by Western artistic traditions. These works became known in America primarily through the American China trader Augustine Heard, who brought a substantial collection of Tingqua paintings back to the United States in ca. 1855. These are now located at the Peabody Museum in Salem, Massachusetts.

Tingqua was from a family of Chinese artists, each of whom were recognized for there skills in painting scenes suitable for the export market. His father, Guan Zuolin, often known by his western name, Spoilum, was the first identifiable artist of the Cantonese export school. These exquisite little views absolutely typify Tingqua’s style and technique. All four works display the Tingqua denotation of the sea by regular parallel lines, sometimes with ripples in the foreground. Moreover, his characteristic mannerism of representing trees as thick clusters of yellow-green leaves is amply demonstrated in his paintings of the Canton Waterfront with the U.S. Steamer “Spark” and Whampoa Anchorage with American, British and Danish Shipping. These watercolors also illustrate the diversity of countries trading in China, particularly in the former work, with the flags of the American, British, French and Danish nations displayed prominently along the skyline.

Above all, Tingqua’s work is perhaps most recognized for its exquisite characterization of daily life and for its exceptional detail. The precision of the brushwork and concentration upon light effects is superb, and in each scene the importance of world trade with China is beautifully displayed.

These stunning watercolors are currently on display at Arader Galleries' 432 Jackson Street location in San Francisco. Please visit www.aradersf.com or call 415.788.5115 for more information.