| 内容简介（英文） | Ch'i Pai-shih, a native of Hunan province, resided in Peking after the age of 54. Originally a carpenter, he excelled at engraving images. Later, he studied painting and came to excel at landscapes, figures, flowers, and plants and insects. He was also gifted at calligraphy and carving seals, becoming as famous as Wu Ch’ang-shih (1844-1927) in Shanghai. Hence, they became known as “Ch’i of the North and Wu of the South”. Ch'i Pai-shih often chose scenes from daily life as the subject of his paintings, as shown here. Though the composition of this work is quite simple, the artist cleverly arranged a brown wine jug in the upper right corner and two flat-bottomed baskets in front; the foreground one contains lily bulbs while the other is filled with persimmons. The artist effectively contrasted the heights and shapes of the containers as well as the variations in colors to create a sense of pictorial balance and harmony. The artist’s dashing and forceful brushwork in his inscription complement exactly that of the basket with lily bulbs, making this a superb example of Ch'i Pai-shih's art. This painting was donated to the National Palace Museum by Mr. Ts'ai Chen-nan. |
