Qi Baishi's "Wisteria Diagram" painted to Li Dan
Text | Li Jilin
Intuitively speaking, listening to songs and watching dramas is easier to make people excited, because their stimulation of the senses is more direct. The same is true for reading articles, and readers often feel sad and happy as the plot and story are deeply immersed in it.
But it is not so easy to excite people by viewing paintings, because the art works are calm and silent, and they need to be tasted and pondered by the viewer. Understanding the story behind the painting is a direct way to seek a spiritual fit and resonate.
Last year, Qinghai Jumozhai Art Auction Co., Ltd. spent a lot of money to acquire the famous anti-war Japanese writers Sachiko Ikeda and Shikachi, who lived in China, and their old collection of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, Qi Baishi's "Wisteria Map" painted to Li Dan. Sachiko Ikeda and Kashikachi are old friends of Chinese people.
After coming to China in 1930, Sachiko Ikeda actively participated in various anti-war activities. During this period, he made good friends with Famous People such as Song Qingling, Deng Yingchao, Lu Xun, Guo Moruo, Chen Cheng, Xiao Jun, and Bai Wei, and was hired as a design consultant in the Seventh Department of the Third Department of the Political Department of the Military Commission of the National Government.
After the victory of the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, he was cordially received by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai and received high praise. Later, he returned to Japan as a member of the China-Japan Friendship Association, and as a representative of Wushan Trade, he promoted the development of Sino-Japanese trade, and collected a considerable number of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, such as Zhang Daqian, Huang Binhong, Yu Feimin, Qi Baishi, Wu Changshuo, Li Keyan and others.
Today I want to tell one of the rare works of Qi Baishi, which also unveils a little-known love story between Qi Baishi and the Li family.
Clusters of wisteria flowers are like bunches of grapes hanging from the branches, and the pearl-like petals of the wisteria flowers, one after another, one after another, clanging. Under the illumination of the sun, a colorful light is reflected, crystal clear and sparkling.
The wisteria in this work is more expressed in color, a few strings of wisteria bloom red, wisteria flowers sway gracefully with the wind under the breeze, and the faint and thick leaves with intricate pitching on the side are hidden between the flowers and vines, making the painting more delicate and charming.
In a lively atmosphere, Qi Baishi did not forget to come a little heavy ink to suppress the position, a few strokes of vertical and horizontal coiling down, not only the picture level is richer, the color contrast is more intense, the whole picture is complex but not chaotic, the order is orderly, there is a movement in the quiet, it can be seen that the painter arbitrarily brushes vertically and horizontally, the human eye listens to my hand, and "wins the heavenly work" (Qi Baishi's seal) ability. This work was made by Qi Baishi in 1921 (Xin You), when he was 57 years old. This is also his painting of Nodo's masterpiece in the backyard of the Mountain Pavilion. The picture uses a cursive seal brushwork inscription "Mr. Huamin Xin You, April 17, Qi Huang Baishi Grass Cloth Yanjing Xiangfang Bridge Guanyin Temple Sent", Qi Baishi wrote a certain style of writing in a certain period, which can be reflected in the lines of his paintings.
When he was about fifty years old, he was fascinated by the Golden Winter Heart calligraphy, so the lines he drew in his paintings were also clumsy, quite similar to the Golden Winter Heart painting method. However, when Qi Baishi was about sixty years old, he copied the "Tianfa Divine Tablet", and due to the deepening of his calligraphy skills, the appearance of the painting was also changed, and the lines were vigorous and powerful, such as the vine and branches, which were obviously written with grass and seal brushwork, such as this fifty-seven-year-old "Wisteria Diagram" Vines and roses appeared even more ancient and vigorous. Qi Baishi once wrote in "Self-Description of the Old Man of Baishi": "In the spring and February of the ninth year of the Republic of China (1920), the painter Qi Baishi took his third son Qi Liangkun and his eldest grandson Qi Bingling to Beijing to study. ”
After coming to Beijing, due to the inconvenience of longquan temple in the south of the city, he moved to the stone stirrup nunnery inside Xuanwu Gate. Because the old monks in the Stirrup Nunnery raised a lot of chickens and dogs, and the sound of chickens and dogs was endless, Qi Baishi had long wanted to move away to be quiet. It just so happened that Qi Baishi's side room Hu Baozhutuo people found the Guanyin Temple in Xiangfang Bridge, and Qi Baishi moved to Guanyin Temple. However, there are many Buddhist things in Kannon Temple, and there are more Buddhist trumpets and bells than stirrup temples. Therefore, he moved to No. 6 of the Third Fence in the South of the West Fourth Arch Building..." Obviously, this painting was made at the Guanyin Temple of Xiangfang Bridge in Yanjing, and it was "sent" to it, which shows that when qi Baishi was temporarily living in the Guanyin Temple of Xiangfang Bridge when he composed the "Wisteria Map", there is no doubt that the picture also expressed Qi Baishi's gratitude and longing for the Chinese people (Li Dan).
Among modern literati, the interaction between Li Dan and Qi Baishi is a very touching story, there are many wonderful stories, and many masterpieces have been born, which is worth remembering. Li Dan (1873-1938), formerly known as Zerun, was a native of Xiangtan, Hunan. Modern politician, educator, ethnologist, famous calligrapher, poet, deputy tribute at the end of the Qing Dynasty. He served as a secretary of the Governor's Office in Ningzhou, Gansu, Zhizhou, and Tan Yanmin, the first official of the Republic of China, and was a member and secretary general of the Qinghai Provincial Government in 1928, a member of the Supervisory Committee of the Republic of China Government in 1933, and was received by Lin Sen, Chiang Kai-shek, Wang Jingwei, and other leading party and government figures of the National Government, and was good at various calligraphy such as li, grass, line, and seal. He is the author of "Notes on The Sayings of The Text", "Biography of the Yuhai Martyrs", "Lingzhou Miscellaneous Yin", "Coral Yanzhai Poetry Collection", "The Ballad of Lablang", etc., presided over the compilation of the first "Great Dictionary of Han and Tibet", wrote the "Four To the Inscriptions of the Taal Temple" for the Qinghai Taal Temple, and wrote three Paintings of the Great Mosque of The Qingzhen in Dongguan, Xining, and engraved them on the stone stele; he wrote the "Sun Yat-sen Monument" eight-character list book for the Gansu Provincial Government, which still stands in the northwest corner of the Gansu Provincial People's Government.
Li Dan has been living in Qinghai for more than ten years, making important contributions to the development of qinghai local culture and education, revitalizing Qinghai's economy, and making efforts to maintain the integrity of the national territory and the social stability of the border. Li Dan's calligraphy is quite famous in Xining, and calligraphers of the older generation in Qinghai, such as Mo Ruzhi and Zhong Xijiu, have been instructed by him. Li Dan's grandfather Li Peijing (李培敬), courtesy name Jiantang (簡堂), was a Qing Xianfeng Jinshi (清咸丰進士), and during the Guangxu Dynasty, he was appointed as the Governor of Jiangsu and the Governor of Hedao. His father, Li Jinyi(Lên), was a member of the Guanyin Guanglu Temple, wenlin Lang. Since childhood, Li Dan has been gifted and intelligent, and he has inherited family learning, is familiar with poetry and books, and is known as a "holy child". In the sixteenth year of qing guangxu, Li Dan became acquainted with The Tongyi carpenter and folk painter Qi Baishi at the home of his uncle Hu Qinyuan, and later often observed books, ancient paintings, and studied poetry together, and became close friends.
Li Dan not only had brothers with Qi Baishi, but also many clan members of the Li family had deep friendships with the old man of Baishi, and it is rare for a long-lived old man to have been intimate with a family for several generations. The Li Dan family is Qi Baishi's enlightenment teacher in literature and art, without the support of the Li Dan family, there will be no later Qi Baishi artistic achievements, Qi Baishi has painted many works for the Hu and Li families in his lifetime. The Portrait of Lady Li of Qi Baishi in the Liaoning Museum is the protagonist of Lady Li, who is the mother of Li Dan. Qi Baishi inscription: The statue was created by Nai Weng when he was a teenager, and was the mother of Li Dan who could share the suffering.
The inscription says to his friend Li Dan that "you can share hardships", and a few numbers can imply that the friendship between them is extraordinary. There are also many interesting stories that are thought-provoking. China Guardian's 2017 Autumn Auction No. 1105 work - Qi Baishi's "Wen Tianxiang Statue", the above person "Mr. Huamin" is Qi Baishi's friend Li Dan. This work is the meaning of Qi Baishi's sustenance, praying for this statue to pin li dan Huaiwen Tianxiang's loyalty, wishing Li Dan official luck and prosperity, which shows the brotherhood between Qi Baishi and Li Dan.
In 1894, Li Danchang, together with Qi Baishi, Wang Zhongyan and seven others, cooked wine and wrote poems, painted and made flower notes, and initiated the establishment of the Longshan Poetry Society at the Dajie Temple of Wulongshan in Xiangtan County, called "Seven Sons of Longshan". Soon, Qi Baishi, Li Dan, Hu Guang, Hu Yuan brothers (all xiangtan modern calligraphers) and seven other people initiated the establishment of the Houlongshan Poetry Society, called "Houlongshan Seven Sons". Qi Baishi once wrote in the "Self-Description of the Old Man of Baishi": "There is a friend Li Dan (Li Peijing Changfang Changsun), whose name is Yumin, is the nephew of Hu Qinyuan. Come to my house and stay with him. Night without oil lamp, burned pine branches, and talked to him about poetry. "Li Dan Xiaozhi carpenter is 10 years old, loves poetry and books, knows that he is diligent and self-motivated, and has no portal view, and takes the initiative to make friends with him. Qi Shi has a poetry cloud: "The lamp is oilless and what is harmful, self-burning pine fire to read Tang poems" can also see his diligence in reading and learning. Burning pine branches to promote poetry, the friendship between Li Yumin and the zhi carpenter, should be one of the driving forces that motivate this rural carpenter to continue to study and move forward.
"Li Dan asked me to communicate with him frequently, and his well-intentioned approach made me deeply hidden in my memory, which is indeed a memorial to my life", this sentence is very pertinent expression of Qi Baishi's friendship that qi Baishi often remembers, although Qi Baishi and Li Dan later went their separate ways, but the friendship of innocence has never changed. Introducing the old affairs of Qi Baishi's interaction with Li Dan will help readers to have a complete understanding of Qi Baishi's paintings to Li Danli's "Wisteria Diagram" and the friendship between Qi Baishi and Li Dan.
Qi Baishi recalled in the 58-year-old "Vine Lotus Bee": "There are wild vines behind the borrowing mountain pavilion, and its flowers are countless when they bloom, and when the grandson is four years old, he is driven by the bees, and today the grandson can also paint this vine insect and meditate on the past, as if at the bottom of the eye." It is also inscribed in "Vines and Roses": "After the home is borrowed from the mountain hall, the vines and roses around it are like mountains." Qi Baishi also wrote in the painting: "Nanyue Mountain is the most, its vines are thorny, the knots are like mulberries, edible, and the seeds are like grapes." Qi Baishi painted vines and roses from life. He refines it through observation, and is higher than life. As early as when he lived in the Borrow Mountain Bard, he often inscribed the poem "Borrowing the Mountains and The Four Wild Vines and the Sea, and the Tree Mu He Once Recognized as a Flower".
Although these wild vines were not valued by woodcutters and shepherds, they attracted the attention of Qi Baishi and took them as the subject of painting. Many critics today love Qi Baishi's shrimp and crab works, and in my opinion, his wisteria, grapes, and lotus flowers can better represent the higher level of Qi Baishi's freehand paintings. Today I tell li dan about this painting of "Wisteria Diagram" is the embodiment of Qi Baishi's 57-year-old typical painting style achievements.
Life is precious, and while we appreciate that beauty, soon, after the flowering period has passed, we have to wait for its flowering period to come, so that time passes in a hurry, and we might as well record this general beauty with a paintbrush. Painting to Li Dan's "Wisteria Diagram", Qi Baishi just grasped the beauty of wisteria, Qi Baishi's wisteria, without exception, is consistent with the creative attitude orientation of other painters, all originate from the deep feeling of nature, following the law of freehand painting to delete complexity and simplicity, showing the courtyard deep and sparse state, is a natural from the Xiangtan hometown Yuxia Ridge on the plum blossom style elegant aesthetic atmosphere and developed, even if its bold pen walks the dragon snake or overturns the river and the sea, but in the bones, It is clearly permeated with a kind of literati painting those highly stylized sketches, which are complementary to the natural scenery of Xiangtan where he was born.
An era, the corresponding when there are different painting styles and even language expression, can not take a certain master painting method as the guideline, Qi Baishi before the eight, its depressed and vigorous pen and ink, whether it is dry lotus, sleeping birds contain a kind of bitter tears, from the former noble and reduced to the grass people under the Qing court, this glorious and dry life does not give birth to its depressed pen and ink is strange.
In the middle and late 20th century, Haipai painting had a wide influence on modern freehand painting, Qi Baishi also created in different periods, has become a classic that later scholars are competing to emulate, among which the rafters of the pen flavor of the golden stone, vividly write the natural form of plants, in the delicate and changeable brush line ink block, expressing the wonderful form of leafy intertwining, especially the theme of his frequent vine ben presents Qi Baishi's strong personal capitalization style. Qi Baishi is engaged in freehand painting, and he is the closest to Miao Weng and is more affected.
He embraced an artistic feeling of love for nature and debauchery in writing, but it was different from the life of the Bada Shan people who rose and fell, and there was no Xu Qingteng's crazy behavior from time to time, so he walked in Xiangtan and Yanjing, watched the flowers blossom and fall in the courtyard of the court, and Yun Cirrus Yun shu was not shocked, and wrote out its vigorous and vigorous artistic style that was different from that of Gong Weng, Eight Greats, and Qingteng. Judging from the painting of Li Danli's "Wisteria Diagram", the fresh breath of life, the breath of books, and the taste of gold and stone can all be reflected, and he realized that the branches of the painting vines and roses should have the meandering posture of a dragon and a snake, and seek movement in silence to be superior.
In this regard, he wrote in the poem: "Where did this method of white stone come from, and the flying snake flew away from the grass. He also said: "There is a dragon and snake in the chest, and it is used to draw vines, and sometimes thunderstorms are suspected of flying away." Qi Baishi has a special love for painting vines, and vines such as wisteria, gourds, and grapes are all subjects he is happy to express, and they are often seen in his works. The reasons for this are of course multifaceted, but the indulgence of the vine suitable for pen and ink is also an important internal factor.
Qi Baishi believes that the vine does not hang and has no posture, although the hanging is slightly the same, the changes are endless. Qi Baishi painted countless vines and varied, and his achievements in calligraphy were brilliantly reflected in the painting vines, and his keen observation of life sublimated the artistic conception of the work. In each work, like "Wisteria", the meandering vine will bring people an artistic enjoyment of the intestines.
Article, image source / Qinghai Daily
Executive Producer / Yuanmo, Great White
Edit / Konishi
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