Qi Baishi, The Master And His Brush

2012-04-05T01:42:00.000-07:00

2010-07-17T12:39:00.001-07:00

Qi Baishi (1863-1957)

Qi Baishi was a versatile artist. Although he could paint excellent human figures, animals, and landscapes, he was mainly known for his flowers, birds, insects and fish, which were the major themes of his paintings later in life.

Qi Baishi's works have a fresh lyrical quality and he sought to achieve a "likeness both in shape and spirit" of the things he painted. He mastered the ability of suggesting the essence of his subject with a few brief strokes. One can perceive in his art a high sense of reality. His paintings exude the sense of life, joy, optimism and humor that was a reflection of his own world view.

Qi Baishi is perhaps the most noted contemporary Chinese Artist, the whimsical, often playful style of his brush works make his paintings almost universally appealing.

Two of Baishi's major artistic influences include the early Qing Dynasty painter Bada Shanren (or Chu Ta) and the Ming Dynasty artist Xu Wei.

His pseudonyms include Qí Huáng(齊璜) and Qí Wèiqīng (齐渭清).

The subjects of Qi Baishi's paintings include almost everything, commonly animals, scenery, figures, toys, vegetables, and so on. He theorized that "paintings must be something between likeness and unlikeness, much like today's vulgarians, but not like to cheat popular people". In his later years, many of his works depict mice, shrimp, or birds.

Qi was also good at seal carving and called himself "the fortune of three hundred stone seals".

In 1953 Qi Baishi was elected to the president of the Association of Chinese Artists. He died in Beijing in 1957.

2010-07-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

Qi Baishi (1863-1957)

Qi Baishi is perhaps the most noted contemporary Chinese painter of whimsical, often playful style of his works.

Some of Baishi's major influences include the early Qing Dynastypainter Bada Shanren (or Chu Ta) and the Ming Dynasty artistXu Wei.

His pseudonyms include Qí Huáng(齊璜) and Qí Wèiqīng (齐渭清).

Qi was also good at seal carving and called himself "the fortune of three hundred stone seals".

In 1953 Qi Baishi was elected to the president of the Association of Chinese Artists. He died in Beijing in 1957.

*This information is provided courtesy of Asian Antiquities who can be found at http://asian-antiquites.com