by Rowan Johnson
SOU Class of 2025, Creative Writing

Alex Ito, Western Verbiage III (belated gratitude, for Ashland and Jacksonville, Oregon (detail), 2024, enamel paint on resin, foam, oxidized iron powder, wood, moss, artificial plants, and historical objects, courtesy of the artist and Southern Oregon University Laboratory of Anthropology (SOULA), supported by the Jenni Crain Foundation (photo by Ezra)

Also known as the Four Season Flowers, the Four Gentlemen Flowers originate in Confucious philosophy as plants that reflect JunZi (gentlemanly/upstanding) virtues. The four flowers are orchids, bamboo, chrysanthemums, and plum blossoms. These motifs can be found in historical and modern works of art. They are referenced most often in visual art, like paintings and pottery, and literary works. What each flower represents is reflected in the way it behaves. For example, chrysanthemums bloom in fall when most flowers are starting to die and have an earthy scent that is unpleasant compared to other florals. This is seen as an ability to withstand hardships and a freedom from worldly concerns. It is a flower that can bloom despite the cold of winter and is not interested in being liked or favored. Artist Alex Ito uses historical shards of porcelain bowls and spoons with the Four Gentlemen motifs in his piece Western Verbiage III. The artifacts were unearthed from a Chinese American home in Jacksonville, Oregon that burned down in 1888. As an homage to Oregon’s Chinese gold rush miners and the stories that were buried with them, Western Verbiage III brings these stories to the forefront through archeological materials. Learn more about the Four Gentlemen with the link below, and find Alex Ito’s Western Verbiage III in the Main Gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art. 

http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/painting-four-gentlemen.php 

Stacy Jo Scott, Satyr and Hermaphrodite: Medicamine, 2024, ceramic, plaster scagliola, ink, and cotton, courtesy of the artist

Much of what we know today about ancient Roman life comes from the ruins of Pompeii after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Major archeological digs of the site didn’t begin until the mid-18th century, and although there were many things lost to looting and decay, there was a surprising amount of artifacts retrieved from the ash. One of these artifacts was a sculpture known today as Satyr and Hermaphrodite, a marble statue depicting a satyr and Hermaphrodite, an intersex child of Hermes and Aphrodite, in the middle of an altercation. Satyrs represented the animalistic side of human nature. Coupled with the fact that they were often used as symbols of sexuality and aggression, it is assumed that this is a scene of Hermaphrodite fighting off assault. Artist Stacy Jo Scott was inspired by this work, citing it as a moment of recognition. As a Queer person, she found herself empathizing with Hermaphrodite and was inspired by their fight against the violence imposed onto them. Scott honors this relationship with Hermaphrodite in their series of the same title, depicting struggling and disjointed body parts and freedom in the form of kaleidoscopic, abstract forms. Find the original Pompeii sculpture with the link below, and find Stacy Jo Scott’s series in the Main and Heiter Gallery of the Schneider Museum of Art.  

https://www.worldhistory.org/image/12220/statue-group-of-satyr-and-hermaphrodite/#ci_related_filters=type:3&page:1