Lot 2686: QI BAISHI (1863-1957)

QI BAISHI (1863-1957)
The House of Tranquility
Entitled, inscribed and signed, with three seals of the artist
Dated winter, guihai year (1938)
Dedicated to Leng'an (Hu Peiheng, 1892-1965)
Hanging scroll, ink and colour on paper
136 x 72.5 cm. (53 1/2 x 28 1/2 in.)
20th Century
1

Qi Baishi Paintings Collection, Heritage Publishing House, Beijing, 1992, pl.13.

Qi Baishi modeled his own approach after two of the most revered artists of the 17th century, the orthodox landscape painter Dong Qichang and the individualist Shitao. Qi did not mimic them, but he adopted Dong's aim to represent pure beauty to project the artist's mind or essential 'character', as well as Shitao's conviction that the artist must paint from his own life experience.

Qi found confirmation of his preference for working from his own observations of nature, grappling with the challenge of utilizing traditional media and techniques to devise a new and wholly personal statement. Qi's remarkable gift in illuminating the inherent beauty of the most ordinary things is represented in The House of Tranquility.

The House of Tranquility expresses Qi's ability to evoke tranquility and delight from everyday life in a most child-like and simple manner. The simplicity and charm of this landscape belie its technical prowess, as individual elements are defined in their entirety by a single telling touch of the brush. There is an inner quietude and confidence in the creation of this work, with the old man as the focal point, evoking a sense of calm and contented solitude.

The House of Tranquility offers another instance of Qi's ingenious use of minimal means for maximum descriptive results. No single part of this painting dominates another, creating a schematic balance of the whole - yet without one element, the painting would seem incomplete.