Birth Happy Day!
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I found this piece of framed calligraphy in a small arts and crafts shop named Noa Omanuyot in the Dan Panorama Hotel on Mt. Carmel in Haifa:
Before I explain what the Chinese says, I wish to emphasize that the characters are exquisitely formed. In fact, they are quite remarkable for a person who doesn't know Chinese. The artist is the owner of the shop, who is not Chinese, but likes to travel in Asia, and gets inspiration from what she sees on her trips. I think of this as a work of art because it is on canvas and the red portion of each character consists of thickly laid on paint that gives a sense of depth to the piece.
Here's what is written on the painting:
kuài shēng rì lè / yuè
快生日乐
hurry up and give birth to:
a. the day's happiness / music
b. Japanese music
This is, of course, a transposition of the natal greeting we've all heard and sung countless times, each in our own language:
shēngrì kuàilè
生日快樂
happy birthday
Somehow or other, the character that appears first (at the top) got displaced there from the third (next to the last) position.
Seeing this unique painting in that delightful gift shop generated a lot of happiness for my day.
[Thanks to Diana Goldin]
Christopher Barts said,
December 22, 2016 @ 9:12 pm
OTOH, "Hurry up and give birth!" would be a wonderful sign to hang in a labor and delivery ward.
Guy said,
December 23, 2016 @ 7:06 am
I do hope you visit the Japanese art museum in Haifa if you haven't done so before: http://www.tmja.org.il/eng
Also, last time I was in Israel, I was struck by how popular sushi has become, and how often it was unapologetically Chinese-branded… Did you notice this too?
Cervantes said,
December 23, 2016 @ 8:56 am
You know, there's a museum of Palestinian art in Umm al-Fahem, not far away.
Or rather, there are plans for such a museum. What exists at the moment is the Umm El-Fahem Art Gallery.
From the Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art, it's 45 minutes away by car; or 7 hours away by public transportation.