Lot Essay
US$322,600-451,600
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Details
QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
Spring Scenery
Painting: hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
152.4 x 70 cm. (60 x 27 1/2 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Calligraphy by Hu Tuo: scroll, mounted and framed, ink on paper
19 x 82.5 cm. (7 1/2 x 32 1/2 in.)
Signed, with two seals of the artist, dated spring, gengwu year (1990)
Note:
Qi Baishi was an admirer of Xu Wei, Bada Shanren and Shitao. He wrote, "As for Qingteng (Xu Wei), Xuege (Bada Shanren), Dadizhi (Shitao), people may just dismiss their work, or even see it as insignificant as sketch paper. But I stand just outside their doors, pining for their works; even if I am hungry, I feel joy in the expectation of seeing their masterpieces." One can observe his open adoration towards the three painters despite the fact that their works had not yet received wider acceptance by the populace. In many aspects Qi's landscape painting emulates that of Shitao, through easy, simple strokes and by using the perception of depth to emphasize the importance and eclipse the trivial. Qi aimed to recreate scenes that lie between likeness and unlikeness, harkening back to a poem of Shitao:
Like Dong YuanM like Mi Fu,
between likeness and unlikeness,
Painters are like autumn mountains after rain,
cleansing the mountains and giving them new life.
From present painters to old masters,
who innovates and who impersonates?
Weave through paintings and through time,
and let the strength of one's brush provide the answer. (2)
Spring Scenery
Painting: hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
152.4 x 70 cm. (60 x 27 1/2 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Calligraphy by Hu Tuo: scroll, mounted and framed, ink on paper
19 x 82.5 cm. (7 1/2 x 32 1/2 in.)
Signed, with two seals of the artist, dated spring, gengwu year (1990)
Note:
Qi Baishi was an admirer of Xu Wei, Bada Shanren and Shitao. He wrote, "As for Qingteng (Xu Wei), Xuege (Bada Shanren), Dadizhi (Shitao), people may just dismiss their work, or even see it as insignificant as sketch paper. But I stand just outside their doors, pining for their works; even if I am hungry, I feel joy in the expectation of seeing their masterpieces." One can observe his open adoration towards the three painters despite the fact that their works had not yet received wider acceptance by the populace. In many aspects Qi's landscape painting emulates that of Shitao, through easy, simple strokes and by using the perception of depth to emphasize the importance and eclipse the trivial. Qi aimed to recreate scenes that lie between likeness and unlikeness, harkening back to a poem of Shitao:
Like Dong YuanM like Mi Fu,
between likeness and unlikeness,
Painters are like autumn mountains after rain,
cleansing the mountains and giving them new life.
From present painters to old masters,
who innovates and who impersonates?
Weave through paintings and through time,
and let the strength of one's brush provide the answer. (2)
Provenance
THE SIYUAN TANG COLLECTION OF QI BAISHI PAINTINGS
The owner of the Siyuan Tang collection was a man who loved Qi Baishi's paintings, in particular the naturalistic way he rendered flowers and the spirit with which he depicted them. In Chrysanthemum and a Jar of Wine, Qi painted so realistically that one can almost smell the pungent intoxication of the mix of flowers and wine. Qi sketched a lively and animated Pigs, with the inscription, 'having spent time in the backyard of my Xing Tang house'. Through the painting, Qi recalled his years as a herd boy, as well as the steadfast spirit of the working class. In his rare depiction of Tiger, Qi painted the lines defining its bone structure with fluidity and ease, his meticulousness in depicting a crouching tiger culminating minute details such as its fur, to the overall ferocity and agility of the animal. Qi's depiction of landscapes is also in a class of his own. Dedicated to Lengan, who was Hu Peiheng, Qi's good friend, Spring Scenery highlights his unique interpretation of landscapes, containing new methods, distinctive perceptions, and unexpected compositions that propelled and set the tone for a new genre of Chinese paintings. Although Qi's landscape paintings initially received criticism for being too avant-garde in comparison to traditional landscape painting, Hu already saw and understood its immense significance and collected many landscapes by Qi. From the added inscription by Hu Peiheng's son Hu Tuo, one can see the high regard the Hu family as a whole had for Qi's landscape paintings.
The owner of the Siyuan Tang collection was a man who loved Qi Baishi's paintings, in particular the naturalistic way he rendered flowers and the spirit with which he depicted them. In Chrysanthemum and a Jar of Wine, Qi painted so realistically that one can almost smell the pungent intoxication of the mix of flowers and wine. Qi sketched a lively and animated Pigs, with the inscription, 'having spent time in the backyard of my Xing Tang house'. Through the painting, Qi recalled his years as a herd boy, as well as the steadfast spirit of the working class. In his rare depiction of Tiger, Qi painted the lines defining its bone structure with fluidity and ease, his meticulousness in depicting a crouching tiger culminating minute details such as its fur, to the overall ferocity and agility of the animal. Qi's depiction of landscapes is also in a class of his own. Dedicated to Lengan, who was Hu Peiheng, Qi's good friend, Spring Scenery highlights his unique interpretation of landscapes, containing new methods, distinctive perceptions, and unexpected compositions that propelled and set the tone for a new genre of Chinese paintings. Although Qi's landscape paintings initially received criticism for being too avant-garde in comparison to traditional landscape painting, Hu already saw and understood its immense significance and collected many landscapes by Qi. From the added inscription by Hu Peiheng's son Hu Tuo, one can see the high regard the Hu family as a whole had for Qi's landscape paintings.
Literature
Masterpiece of Painting by Qi Baishi, People's Fine Arts Publishing House, Beijing, 1990, p. 59.
The Collected Works of Qi Baishi Vol. III, Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, 1996, pl.54.
The Collected Works of Qi Baishi Vol. III, Hunan Fine Arts Publishing House, 1996, pl.54.