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Catfish
Details
QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
Catfish
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dedicated to Tiefu
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink on paper
180 x 43 cm. (70 7/8 x 17 in.)
20th Century
Catfish
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dedicated to Tiefu
Scroll, mounted and framed, ink on paper
180 x 43 cm. (70 7/8 x 17 in.)
20th Century
Further Details
The painting was dedicated to Li Tiefu, a native of Sichuan, who studied in Japan in his early years before he returned to his home country to serve in the military and government. Li served as Mayor of Chengdu between March 1947 to June 1948 and was part of Sichuan military leader Liu Wenhui's team of negotiators during discussions with the People's Liberation Army.
Li enjoyed collecting Chinese paintings, and was friends with Qi's Sichuan students Yu Zhongying and Yao Shiqian, as they were all in the military together. Qi also carved a seal specially for Li in the winter of 1931 as a sign of their friendship (see Image 1).
Qi Baishi once articulated that he wished to combine both xie yi and gong bi styles, as those who were skilled in free sketch and spontaneous expression (xieyi) focused on the spirit of their subjects, while those who were skilled in careful and precise paintings (gongbi) placed heavy focus on the details, forms and standards of their subjects - his reason for combining the two was so that both spirit and form could be perfected.
Catfish is a great example of the combination of the two - in one strong brushstroke Qi was able to delineate the fluidity of the fish's body, capturing the form and detail of the fish completely without forgoing his own simplified style and flair.
With special reference to a fruitful year, Qi also inscribed the painting with expressions of abundance and success.
Li enjoyed collecting Chinese paintings, and was friends with Qi's Sichuan students Yu Zhongying and Yao Shiqian, as they were all in the military together. Qi also carved a seal specially for Li in the winter of 1931 as a sign of their friendship (see Image 1).
Qi Baishi once articulated that he wished to combine both xie yi and gong bi styles, as those who were skilled in free sketch and spontaneous expression (xieyi) focused on the spirit of their subjects, while those who were skilled in careful and precise paintings (gongbi) placed heavy focus on the details, forms and standards of their subjects - his reason for combining the two was so that both spirit and form could be perfected.
Catfish is a great example of the combination of the two - in one strong brushstroke Qi was able to delineate the fluidity of the fish's body, capturing the form and detail of the fish completely without forgoing his own simplified style and flair.
With special reference to a fruitful year, Qi also inscribed the painting with expressions of abundance and success.
Brought to you by
Ben Kong
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