Label Type
Tombstone LabelLabel
Eagle Catching Baby Chickens
Qu Erniu (Chinese, act. late 20th century)
1997
Paint on rice paper
Gift of Andrea and Irv Green, 2019.1.52Label Type
Cultural/Historical ContextLabel
In this children’s game, the two largest children play the eagle and the mother hen while the rest of the children play baby chickens. The eagle tries to grab the baby chickens; the mother hen tries to protect them. The babies follow her movements closely. A black shadow shaped like an eagle threatens in the background. Everyone is so excited, screaming and making noise, that the children’s faces turn color. Nursery children and kindergartners still play this game. Like many artists from Huxian, Qu Erniu was a paper-cut artist before he began painting. There are decorative papercut repetitions here in plants, stars, and birds. Faces that are as similar and simple like they are in papercuts emphasize the more expressive variations in eyes, color, etc.