Beschreibung:

QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
QI BAISHI (1863-1957) Sailing through Winds and Waves Scroll, mounted and framed, ink and colour on paper 101 x 46 cm. (39¾ x 18 1/8 in.) Inscribed with a poem and signed, with three seals of the artist Dedicated to Zhu Guang Note: Qi Baishi's unerring powers of observation captured and expressed the relationship between man and the environment in the most simplistic and unpretentious form. Qi first mastered the art of depicting images and objects in their true form-likeness, which means he portrayed what he saw through his eyes with utmost precision and delicacy. Through studies of The Mustard Seed Garden Manual in his early years, Qi produced an impressive array of naturalistic paintings of flowers and birds to figures and landscapes, but it was not until his later years that he reached the apex of his artistic career. Qi transcended his artistic ability to paint realistically; instead, he transformed his paintings into masterpieces of rustic simplicity that expressed the essence of his spirit and the scene rather than its true form-likeness. In today's technological world, representing what one sees in front of him is not hard, but to extract its essence and be aesthetically pleasing, emotionally charged and all the while making the landscape believable are very difficult. Attaining this, thus, reflects true value in a painting, as can be seen in this current lot. In Sailing through Winds and Waves Qi deliberately places houses, trees and the boats strategically to bring about a unique perspective to the painting, while evoking a sense of calm. The viewer is metaphorically encouraged to ride the winds and break the waves, to fearlessly and steadfastly pursue a goal without regret. Sailing through Winds and Waves was dedicated to Zhu Guang (1906-1969), a Guangzhou native who was a member of the Communist Party in 1930 and later became mayor of Guangzhou city in the 1950's.