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Preface
Speaking of Qi Baishi, he was originally a carpenter and a craftsman, and he never learned to paint systematically.
However, with his artistic talent and self-taught energy, his paintings are not only lively in style, but also carry his personal emotions and some deep thoughts.
This has earned his works high praise in the world art circle.
In 2017, one of his paintings, Twelve Screens of Landscape, was sold at an auction in Beijing for a whopping 931.5 million yuan, becoming a blockbuster in the art market.
and his later work "Cicada", which also sold for 800 million yuan.
So why are Qi Baishi's paintings so popular?
Two "Cow" paintings
Qi Baishi is a master of modern Chinese painting, and is famous in the world for his exquisite painting skills and his own set of artistic styles.
One of his most representative works is the 1925 Landscape Twelve Screens, a set of 12 long screens, each of which shows the beauty of the landscape.
This set of paintings was first exhibited in public in 1954 when Qi Baishi was 90 years old, and it caused a great sensation at the time, and everyone praised it very much.
After Qi Baishi's death, the artistic and market value of this set of paintings rose a lot.
By the 1980s, collectors had already regarded it as a highly prized item, and the market price reached $1.2 million.
In the 21st century, this upward trend is even more pronounced. At an auction at Poly in Beijing, the set started at 450 million yuan and sold for a whopping 931.5 million yuan.
It set an all-time record for art auctions, and for a time it was considered "the most expensive "art" in history, and this record has not been broken for a long time.
At the same time, another work by Qi Baishi, "Cicada", was also sold in the art market for a high price of 800 million yuan.
Although it did not exceed the "Landscape Twelve Screens", this price was enough to shock the art and collecting world.
This cicada is not the other cicada
When it comes to Qi Baishi's painting "Cicada", there was a small episode when it was auctioned.
After seeing that this painting could be auctioned for hundreds of millions, someone was very puzzled, it was just a cicada, and it was worth spending so much money to buy it?
After listening to this, one of the experts present smiled and said, "At first glance, it looks like a drawing of a cicada, but if you look closely, you will see that it is not just a cicada." ”
With every stroke in the painting, you can see how exquisite Qi Baishi's craftsmanship is and how deep his understanding of beauty is. ”
Although Qi Baishi was originally a carpenter and had no formal training in painting, he was particularly sensitive to art and was particularly good at capturing the beauty of nature.
This gave him a place in the modern Chinese painting scene, especially when painting this cicada, his pursuit of detail is simply to the extreme.
The wings of the cicada are drawn in great detail, and when you zoom in, the precision of the lines and the gradation of colors are very delicately handled, reaching the artistic realm of "thin as cicada wings".
Moreover, painting this fragile and delicate creature requires great patience and great skill, especially to express the transparency and delicate structure of the cicada's wings, which is very technically demanding.
It is reported that before creating the work "Cicada", Qi Baishi spent several months observing and studying various details of the cicada.
He not only focuses on the appearance of cicadas from different perspectives, but also has a deeper understanding of their living habits and ecological environment.
This engaged observation allowed him to accurately capture the vivid posture of the cicada and the fragile beauty of its transparent wings.
In addition, Qi Baishi's artistic pursuit does not only stop at the reproduction of images, but also pays more attention to conveying the sense of life of cicadas.
His brushstrokes are delicate and powerful, which can perfectly show the lightness and fragility of the cicada, so that the viewer can not only see the image of a cicada, but also feel its vitality and the wonder of the natural world.
It is precisely this combination of in-depth nature research and artistic expression that makes the painting "Cicada" not only a visual enjoyment, but also a spiritual touch.
It can be said that Qi Baishi allows us to see a vivid natural world through his paintings, and also reflects his deep awe and love for the art of painting.
Together, these elements constitute the high artistic value and precious position of Cicada in the market.
Qi Baishi's art world
Those who are familiar with Chinese art history may know that Qi Baishi's artistic creations are always full of profound insights into nature and life.
Through concise and expressive brushstrokes, his works transform fragments of daily life into philosophical and playful artistic images.
In addition to this "Cicada", as well as in "Disc Bee Picture", the picture is mainly a bee flying on an imperfect disk, and the large amount of white space around it arouses the infinite imagination of the viewer.
It could be pear or osmanthus left on the plate, or it could be an aroma that bees are looking for but can't find. This kind of blank art not only stimulates the viewer's thinking, but also adds to the poetry of the work.
In the painting "He Calls Each Other Every Day", Qi Baishi depicts a scene of two chickens competing for food, and at first glance you might think that Qi Baishi is just painting to represent competition in the animal world.
But in reality, he is alluding to the future unity and collaboration of the biological world through his paintings.
Taking the contrast between the lively competition of the chickens in the painting and the inscription "He calls each other every day", Qi Baishi skillfully blends the reality and ideals of life.
It shows the concept of "benevolence" in animal behavior, and also reflects the importance of mutual care and help in human society.
A change in the style of painting
In fact, if you think about it carefully, Qi Baishi's artistic career began with a shift from magnificent landscapes to in-depth depictions of everyday scenes in the later period.
In his early years, he used works such as "Traveling in the Snow Mountains" to show a grand feeling of natural landscapes and a broad vision of art, and these landscape paintings make people feel the magnificence and vastness of nature.
However, with the accumulation of years and the enrichment of life experience, Qi Baishi gradually turned to depicting more intimate and delicate life elements.
In his later works, such as "Cicada", "Picture of a Disc Bee" and "He Calls Each Day", we see profound depictions of ordinary objects and creatures in life.
In these works, whether it is the trajectory of the bees or the interaction between the chickens, they are full of realism and interest in life.
It can be said that the change in Qi Baishi's painting style not only shows his artistic versatility, but also profoundly reflects his views on the relationship between man and nature.
He used some seemingly ordinary daily scenes to convey a lot of complex feelings and profound truths.
This makes his paintings not only beautiful, but also touching, making people feel emotional resonance and ideological inspiration when looking at them.
brief summary
Qi Baishi's meticulous carving of every detail, whether it is magnificent mountains and rivers or ordinary flowers, birds, insects and fish.
He depicts with great precision and emotional depth, trying to convey the realism and emotion of the scene.
His craftsmanship and meticulous observation of nature and daily life reflect his extreme love and unremitting pursuit of art.
Therefore, Qi Baishi's paintings are not just ink on paper, they are the profound embodiment of his observation of life and philosophical thinking, and the crystallization of emotion and wisdom.
This kind of artistic depth and exquisiteness makes each work have immeasurable artistic value and market value.
Through his paintings, Qi Baishi not only shows his pursuit of beauty, but also conveys his love for life and respect for details.
These are all important reasons why his works are able to command high prices in the art market.
Baidu Encyclopedia
The Paper2023-12-24 Savor Qi Baishi's artistic life
Yi County People's Government2017-12-18 Artwork "Shengshi": Don't let Leonardo da Vinci be beautiful, Qi Baishi's masterpiece was auctioned at a sky-high price of 900 million
China News Network2017-12-02 Qi Baishi's paintings estimated at 500 million yuan will be auctioned Two years ago, it was estimated at 1.5 billion