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Lot Essay
The legendary ghost slayer Zhong Kui was a figure of Chinese mythology, believed to be a vanquisher of ghosts and evil beings. His portrait is often pasted on the doors of families for protection, while his legend was a source of inspiration for painters, the most notable being Gong Kai's (1222-1307) Zhong Kui Travelling with his Sister, at the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington.
Qi Baishi's earliest study paintings were of Daoist and Buddhist immortals, which he painted to earn extra income during his carpenter days. As his career as an artist developed, Qi moved from the detailed gongbi style to a more free, xieyi style of painting. Qi's exquisite balance of realism and xieyi style resulted in a harmonious depiction of a scene reduced to its essence. Pared down to several telling touches, Drunken Immortal depicts an immortal balancing a rod on his shoulder, with the 'longevity' wine receptacle in front and spirits in the basket at the back. For its fantastical subject matter, Qi's treatment of the immortal belies his skill in portraiture and his cleverness in rendering the outline of clothing and objects with ease. The dry, fading quality of the lines at the bottom of the garment suggests motion, while the long, powerful brushstrokes that form the rod give credence to the weight of the wine and the spirits. Drunken Immortal expresses Qi's commitment to his own perceptions and experience, with innate technical resourcefulness of remarkable inventiveness. One can see similarities in a published piece, Qi Baishi's Works (Qi Baishi zuo pin ji), volume 1, plate 92.
Qi Baishi's earliest study paintings were of Daoist and Buddhist immortals, which he painted to earn extra income during his carpenter days. As his career as an artist developed, Qi moved from the detailed gongbi style to a more free, xieyi style of painting. Qi's exquisite balance of realism and xieyi style resulted in a harmonious depiction of a scene reduced to its essence. Pared down to several telling touches, Drunken Immortal depicts an immortal balancing a rod on his shoulder, with the 'longevity' wine receptacle in front and spirits in the basket at the back. For its fantastical subject matter, Qi's treatment of the immortal belies his skill in portraiture and his cleverness in rendering the outline of clothing and objects with ease. The dry, fading quality of the lines at the bottom of the garment suggests motion, while the long, powerful brushstrokes that form the rod give credence to the weight of the wine and the spirits. Drunken Immortal expresses Qi's commitment to his own perceptions and experience, with innate technical resourcefulness of remarkable inventiveness. One can see similarities in a published piece, Qi Baishi's Works (Qi Baishi zuo pin ji), volume 1, plate 92.