Bye-Bye - Virginia Cohn Parkum, c. Unknown

In Bye-Bye, Virginia Cohn Parkum distills the form of a horse to its most economical essentials, presenting the animal from an unexpected vantage point: the rear. With a few confident, unbroken ink strokes, she suggests the rounded haunches, sturdy legs, and lifted tail of a departing horse. The composition is both unmistakable and disarmingly simple, allowing recognition to arrive with a moment of surprise and humor.

The title operates as an integral part of the work’s wit. On the surface, Bye-Bye reads as a playful farewell, perfectly aligned with the image of an animal walking away from the viewer. Yet the concealed title behind the frame—Bai-Bai—reveals an additional layer of wordplay. The phonetic echo gestures toward East Asian linguistic and artistic traditions, subtly aligning with Parkum’s sumi-ink approach and the red seal stamp that punctuates the lower margin. In this dual titling, Parkum demonstrates a lightness of spirit: the work is both a visual pun and a cultural nod, delivered without pretension.

Technically, the piece exemplifies the discipline of ink painting. Each stroke records the speed and pressure of the brush, swelling and tapering with controlled spontaneity. The unpainted paper serves as active space, defining the body through absence rather than outline. The tail’s upward curve provides a final flourish, injecting movement and reinforcing the sense of cheerful departure.

Humor is rare in minimalist ink work, yet Parkum embraces it here. The image invites a smile without diminishing its elegance or craft. By presenting a humble, even cheeky subject through refined brushwork and layered linguistic play, Bye-Bye becomes a reminder that sophistication and playfulness are not opposites but companions. The horse exits the picture plane, leaving behind a gesture, a joke, and the quiet pleasure of recognition.