Lot Essay
US$45,200-58,100
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Details
QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
Magnolias
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
100 x 34.6 cm. (39 3/8 x 13 5/8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Note:
A flower that Qi enjoyed painting was the magnolia. Famous for its sweet aroma and white opacity, its dappled white snow-drop like beauty heralds the coming of spring. As the plant does not produce leaves during flowering season, it is also known as mu hua shu, the woody floral tree, while its bud draws its name from the tip of a Chinese paint brush, and hence is named mu bi hua, the woody pen flower. Symbolically, the magnolia is described as yu jie bing qing, 'clear as ice and clean as jade', spotless and incorruptible, and it is used to represent men of upright morals and high ideals.
For Qi Baishi, every stroke was intentional, nothing was extraneous. Lot 653 depicts a magnolia tree with two buds in bloom; its stamen and pistil skillfully highlighted in yellow and red. Qi shows the feathery texture of the magnolia buds and the thick petals of the flowers with varying degrees of ink and varying thickness as giving energy to the picture, which looks ready to grow and extend beyond the paper.
Magnolias
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
100 x 34.6 cm. (39 3/8 x 13 5/8 in.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Note:
A flower that Qi enjoyed painting was the magnolia. Famous for its sweet aroma and white opacity, its dappled white snow-drop like beauty heralds the coming of spring. As the plant does not produce leaves during flowering season, it is also known as mu hua shu, the woody floral tree, while its bud draws its name from the tip of a Chinese paint brush, and hence is named mu bi hua, the woody pen flower. Symbolically, the magnolia is described as yu jie bing qing, 'clear as ice and clean as jade', spotless and incorruptible, and it is used to represent men of upright morals and high ideals.
For Qi Baishi, every stroke was intentional, nothing was extraneous. Lot 653 depicts a magnolia tree with two buds in bloom; its stamen and pistil skillfully highlighted in yellow and red. Qi shows the feathery texture of the magnolia buds and the thick petals of the flowers with varying degrees of ink and varying thickness as giving energy to the picture, which looks ready to grow and extend beyond the paper.
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Ben Kong
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