Chinese Fan-Form Painting by Liu Hong Wei, Framed

White magnolias along a single branch, painted so softly they nearly fade into the paper.

This fan-form painting, framed, is by Liu Hong Wei (born 1965), from Guangdong Province, China, and is contemporary, in pigment on paper. Painting on fan-shaped leaves is an old practice in China, and many artists mounted such leaves flat for display rather than on ribs. Three magnolia blossoms with touches of pink at their centers open along a knotted gray branch. A column of calligraphy and red seals sit at the right, with another seal at the left. The leaf is set in a white mat and a dark wood frame with rounded corners. It is 30.3 inches wide and 20.9 high.

A quiet branch for a loud wall.