Natural Order, Series IV

This rare ink painting by Qiu Deshu dates from 1981, early in the artist’s career. At the top of the painting is an early example of a technique he now calls “fissuring,” comparing it to cracks in the pavement. The pattern is reminiscent of how his life was broken, during the political extremism of China’s Cultural Revolution, and then later rebuilt. On the top band of the painting, Qiu uses natural uncut stones to impress red marks on the paper, emulating traditional seals. He then tears the paper apart and scatters it, building up the sculptural layers into a low-relief collage.

This painting also has a deep significance for the institutional history of the Brooklyn Museum. In 1983, the Museum held one of the earliest exhibitions in the United States of contemporary art from China, curated by a pioneer in the field, Joan Lebold Cohen. Natural Order, Series IV was one of the major works in that exhibition. As Qiu explained when he graciously donated it, “Since the painting had been displayed at Brooklyn Museum in that exhibition in 1983, I think this donation could be seen as bringing it back home.”