Selected Chinese Paintings of Qi Baishi
Long Win
with cloth, paper box, ISBN 7-119-00045-4
Qi Baishi (1864-1957), born in Xiangtan County, Hunan Province, was a
great master of Chinese art. he devoted his life to painting and left
an important body of works to posterity. He inherited both traditional
Chinese freehand brushwork and folk art techniques and gradually fused
and assimilated them. Thanks to penetrating observation and consistent
exploring, he blended and refined his techniques of painting and
achieved a unique artistic style. His painting enjoys an international
reputation.
Likeness & Unlikeness - Selected Paintings of Qi Baishi covers
representative works in the 74 years between 1883 and 1957. There are,
in all, 150 paintings including landscapes, human figures, flowers,
birds, insects and fish, most of them published for the first time.
Qi Baishi's paintings blend the methods of traditional Chinese
freehand brushwork and folk painting. His special skill lay in
rendering flowers, birds, insects and fish; he was determined to
"portray thousands of insects and hundreds of birds". His works employ
a novel and original artistic conception, concise structural
composition, vigorous strokes and warm colors. "The marvel of a good
painting lies between likeness and unlikeness.... If it is an exact
likeness, it is catering to vulgar tastes, but no likeness is simply
cheating."
Cai Ruohong, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese Artists' Association,
contributes a preface in which he considers the paintings'
characteristic style in relation to the aesthetics of Chinese art. Hu
Tuo, a disciple of Qi Baishi, discusses technical aspects and shares
his first-hand experience and knowledge, providing insight into the
actual art process in his appreciation of the work. The album includes
a detailed chronology of Qi Baishi's personal life and professional
development, providing an overview as well as a historical and
cultural context for Qi Baishi's artistic achievement.