Gallery Curatorial Video
This exhibition brings together Qi Baishi’s classic works, showing his artistic achievements in many fields such as flowers and birds, landscapes, figures, and self-portraits. Qi Baishi (1864-1957) is one of the most influential artists in modern China. His works are characterized by meticulous observation of infectious diseases and free artistic expression, creating an artistic world that is both loyal to tradition and innovative. Qi Baishi’s art is not just a reproduction of nature, but a profound exploration of the essence of nature and the philosophy of life. His creative style, on the basis of inheriting tradition, makes bold breakthroughs and incorporates more personalized forms of expression.
Catalog Essay
Qi Baishi (1864-1957), whose real name is Qi Huang, whose courtesy name is Weiqing and whose pseudonym is Baishi, was born in Xiangtan, Hunan Province. He is one of the most important artists in China in the 20th century and one of the representatives of modern Chinese painting. Qi Baishi not only made outstanding contributions in flower and bird painting, landscape painting, figure painting, seal carving and calligraphy, but also successfully integrated tradition and innovation in the process of artistic creation, becoming an important benchmark in the field of Chinese painting.
Qi Baishi was born in a poor peasant family and showed a strong interest in art since he was a child. When he was young, he did not directly receive formal art education, but gradually laid a solid artistic foundation through self-study, imitation and observation of nature. Qi Baishi’s early living environment is closely related to his artistic creation. His hometown is located in the Xiangjiang River Basin, surrounded by rich natural landscapes. Mountains, rivers, bamboo forests, fish and shrimps often become the source of inspiration for his works. Qi Baishi once worked in woodworking and carving in his youth, and this experience had an important influence on his later artistic creation. Woodworking and carving cultivated his keen observation of details and his ability to control lines. At the same time, Qi Baishi had a special liking for folk art, especially the art of seal cutting. His early seal cutting works also formed his unique artistic style in the future.
Qi Baishi’s artistic style was not achieved overnight, but after years of accumulation and innovation. In the early days, he had moved closer to traditional literati painting and imitated the painting styles of many ancient masters, such as Tang Yin and Xu Wei. Especially in the fields of figure painting and landscape painting, he showed solid skills. However, he gradually realized that traditional techniques and aesthetics could no longer satisfy his pursuit of art. Therefore, Qi Baishi began to incorporate his own unique perception and expression, especially in flower and bird painting and freehand painting. He dared to break through traditional constraints and created a painting style with personal characteristics. Qi Baishi’s freehand flower and bird painting is particularly outstanding. He combined the exquisiteness of traditional Chinese fine brushwork flower and bird painting with the freedom of freehand painting to create an artistic language that is both realistic and full of symbolic meaning. In particular, his vivid images of fish, shrimp, flowers, crabs, frogs, etc. are often depicted with concise brushstrokes, strong colors and unique composition, making the works full of vitality.
Qi Baishi’s artistic creation covers many fields, but he is most famous for flower and bird paintings, landscape paintings and seal carving. Qi Baishi’s flower and bird paintings especially represent the height of his art. Through his observation and expression of nature, he has given each painting a unique vitality. The most representative works such as “Shrimp”, “Frogs Sound Ten Miles Out of the Mountain Spring” and “Peach Blossom Bird” have become the pinnacle of modern Chinese flower and bird paintings with their vivid images, bright colors and simple and powerful composition.
Among them, “Shrimp” is one of Qi Baishi’s most representative works. Through minimalist lines and ink colors, the shape of shrimp is vividly expressed. Qi Baishi captured the transparency and agility of shrimp with a vivid expression, breaking the limitations of traditional fine brushwork, making this work both exquisitely depicted and free and vivid in freehand style. In addition, “Frogs’ Sounds Ten Miles Away from the Mountain Spring” shows Qi Baishi’s vivid description of natural scenes by capturing the shape and sound of frogs.
Qi Baishi’s landscape paintings are also full of personality and originality. His landscape painting style is concise and unrestrained, abandoning complicated descriptions and emphasizing the expression of artistic conception and spirit. Qi Baishi’s landscape paintings focus on vivid charm, and often use strong ink and brushstrokes to express the majesty and tranquility in natural scenes. For example, “Pine Eagle Picture” shows the image of pine trees and eagles. Pine trees symbolize tenacity and longevity, while eagles are symbols of strength and courage. The whole picture gives people a strong sense of vitality and spiritual power.
In addition, Qi Baishi has also made extraordinary achievements in seal carving and calligraphy. His seal carving art inherits the essence of traditional seal carving, but is more personalized and innovative in creation. Especially in the application of small seal script, Qi Baishi integrates his own artistic understanding to make seal carving works more expressive. His calligraphy is mainly official script and running script, with vigorous characters and vivid charm, reflecting his profound cultivation of calligraphy art.
Qi Baishi’s artistic creation was not only formed on the basis of personal experience, but also influenced by the background of the times. In the early 20th century, China was in a turbulent period of internal and external troubles. Western culture and artistic ideas began to gradually spread into China. The collision of traditional culture and Western modern art ideas made the Chinese art world face great changes. Qi Baishi was deeply influenced by Chinese traditional culture and was able to keenly absorb the essence of Western art. In this cultural blending environment, Qi Baishi’s artistic style gradually broke away from the shackles of tradition and embarked on the road of self-innovation. His paintings can inherit the essence of tradition and adapt to the aesthetic needs of modern audiences, becoming a model of the integration of tradition and modernity.
Qi Baishi devoted himself to artistic creation and art education in his later years. He not only continued to innovate in art, but also cultivated a large number of students and art successors. Qi Baishi’s artistic achievements not only had a wide impact in China, but also gradually won a reputation on the international art stage. Especially in 1953, Qi Baishi represented China to hold an exhibition in the United States, which marked the emergence of Chinese modern art in the international arena. In 1957, Qi Baishi died in Beijing at the age of 93. Qi Baishi’s artistic achievements have gone through half a century of development and are still regarded as one of the pinnacles of modern Chinese art. His works not only have high artistic value, but also contain rich cultural connotations. Qi Baishi’s artistic creations, especially his flower and bird paintings and landscape paintings, have become an eternal monument in the history of Chinese art and have had a profound impact on future generations of artists.
Qi Baishi’s artistic achievements are not only reflected in the artistic value of his works, but also in his contribution to the modernization of Chinese art. He broke through the boundaries of traditional painting, gave Chinese painting new vitality, and became one of the representatives of modern Chinese art. His works not only show the beauty of nature, but also contain profound philosophy of life and spiritual pursuits, and are still admired by countless art lovers. Through his lifelong artistic practice, Qi Baishi successfully combined traditional Chinese art with modern art and ushered in a new era of Chinese painting.
Gallery
1.shrimp(虾）
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：Shrimp（虾）
Dimensions:15.75 x 11.81 inches
Classification: Chinese Ink Painting, Flower and Bird Genre
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
“Shrimp” is one of Qi Baishi’s most representative works. Qi Baishi lived in the rural area of Xiangtan since he was a child, and the natural scenery around him had a profound impact on him. In his early years, he mainly painted flowers and birds, and “Shrimp” is one of his classic works in his later years. The work shows Qi Baishi’s superb skills and his deep connection with nature. In this work, Qi Baishi captured the transparency and vitality of the shrimp through simple and vivid brushstrokes, showing the shrimp’s smart posture in the water. The success of this work not only shows Qi Baishi’s in-depth observation of the natural subject of shrimp, but also reflects his innovative spirit of breaking through traditional painting techniques.
2. Flower and Bird Painting(花鸟图)
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：Flower and Bird Painting（花鸟图）
Dimensions:15.75 x 11.81 inches
Classification: Chinese Ink Painting, Flower and Bird Genre
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
Qi Baishi’s “Flower and Bird” series is an important part of his artistic career. As a classic Chinese subject, flower and bird painting occupies an important position in the history of Chinese art. Qi Baishi’s flower and bird paintings not only inherit the tradition, but also incorporate his unique personal perspective. Qi Baishi’s flower and bird paintings are usually brightly colored and simple in lines. Through extremely vivid expression techniques, they show his meticulous observation of nature and breakthroughs in artistic thinking. His flower and bird works bring a strong visual impact to the audience through simplified forms and bright colors.
3.”Frogs croak ten miles from the mountain spring“
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：Frogs croak ten miles from the mountain spring (蛙声十里出山泉)
Dimensions:15.75 x 11.81 inches
Classification: Chinese Ink Painting, Flower and Bird Genre
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
“Frogs croaking ten miles from the mountain spring” is one of Qi Baishi’s characteristic works, showing his precise treatment and veterinary performance of animal images. Qi Baishi lived in the countryside of Hunan and was often inspired by God’s mourning. In the work, Qi Baishi exercised the natural life through the mammalian image of frogs. The frogs in the work are not only lifelike in form, but also convey the natural artistic conception of frogs croaking ten miles away and springs clear through the atmosphere of the picture. This work breaks through the framework of traditional flower and bird paintings, has a stronger artistic conception expression and symbolic meaning, and shows the unique charm of Qi Baishi’s painting style.
4.Peach Blossom Bird
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：Peach Blossom Bird(桃花鸟)
Dimensions:39.37 x 27.56 inches
Classification: Chinese Ink Painting
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
The work “Peach Blossom and Bird” combines Qi Baishi’s technique of depicting flowers and birds with his perception of seasonal changes. Peach blossoms and birds often symbolize spring and vitality. The birds in this work are lifelike, the peach blossoms are gorgeous, and the whole picture is full of the breath of spring. Qi Baishi uses strong colors and bold brushwork to show the beauty of this season vividly. In this work, Qi Baishi’s painting technique has reached a new height, with more mature color use and composition, and great artistic appeal.
5.Pine Eagle(松鹰图)
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：Pine Eagle(松鹰图)
Dimensions:23.6 x 17.7 inches
Classification: Chinese Ink Painting,Bird and Tree Genre
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
“Pine and Eagle” is one of Qi Baishi’s representative landscape paintings. Pine trees and eagles are symbols in traditional Chinese culture. Pine trees symbolize longevity and tenacity, while eagles symbolize courage and strength. Qi Baishi expressed the majesty and power of natural scenes through the pine and eagle painting, and also showed his indomitable spirit in artistic creation. This work is more mature in composition and brushwork, showing Qi Baishi’s high attainments in the field of landscape painting.
6.landscape painting(山水画)
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：landscape painting(山水画)
Dimensions:15.75 x 11.81 inches
Classification: Chinese Ink Painting,Landscape Painting
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
Qi Baishi’s landscape paintings occupy an important position in the history of modern Chinese art. Different from traditional landscape paintings, Qi Baishi’s landscape paintings abandon the complicated details and pay more attention to the spiritual connotation and artistic conception of natural scenes. His landscape paintings often use bold brushstrokes and simple composition to express the natural atmosphere and philosophical thinking between mountains and rivers. Qi Baishi’s landscape paintings not only express the majestic scenery of nature, but also contain the painter’s profound understanding of life and nature.
7.Bamboo and Rock(竹石图)
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：Bamboo and Rock(竹石图)
Dimensions:23.6 x 15.75 inches
Classification:Chinese Ink Painting,Landscape and Plant Genre
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
Bamboo and Rock is a classic work in Qi Baishi’s artistic style. Bamboo symbolizes integrity and tenacity in Chinese culture, while rock symbolizes stability and indomitable spirit. In this work, Qi Baishi expressed his thoughts on nature and life through the uprightness of bamboo and the calmness of rock. This work not only demonstrates Qi Baishi’s painting skills, but also contains profound philosophy and shows his personal spiritual pursuit and artistic style.
8.Self-portrait(自写像)
Artist: QiBai SHi(齐白石)
Title：Self-portrait(自写像)
Dimensions:19.7 x 27.6 inches
Classification:Chinese Ink Painting,Portrait Genre
Credit Line: Beijing Art Museum
