By | Liu Hongqian

Qi Baishi (1864-1957)

Plum blossom map

Paper on the axis

168×42 cm

　　Plum is one of the "four gentlemen", and also called "three friends of the year cold" with pine and bamboo. It blooms in the middle of winter when the fangs shake and fall, and its characteristics symbolize the indomitable spirit.It is proud of loneliness, does not dispute with the world, does not compete with flowers for spring, and often alleges the beauty and modesty of people。This kind of indomitable, self-strengthening in the adversity, in the prosperity does not flatter the common, detached from the noble character and noble integrity, is the portrayal of the intellectuals worship "gentleman" personality。Because of this, plum blossom has been sought after and admired by scholars of all dynasties, with plum into poetry and painting, love plum wing countless people, the most when the Song Dynasty poet Lin Hejing love plum as crazy, planting plum and raising cranes, life did not marry, do not follow the flow, self-called "plum as wife, to crane as son", known as "plum wife and crane"。

　　Qi Baishi also likes plum blossom very much and has created a lot of plum blossom themed works in his life. However, his plum chanting works are different from those of literati painters in the past, and they are more close to life and have a strong flavor of life。His painting plum poem said: "Teeth shaking do not know the lonely mountain moon, every pair of plum blossom sweat full face.。There is also a "theme painting Mei" : "Thin shadow dusk moonlight, old Qingfu envy Lin Bu, this time is Meikai, the old eaves before flowers have no.。That is to say, he is also different from Lin Hejing who lived in seclusion on the lonely mountain "plum wife and crane son", and his plum works are more about his nostalgia for his hometown。"Red Plum Map" inscription: "Xin you autumn August, the home mountain after the war more than ten times, we do not know whether the plum trees behind the mountain pavilion burned？Paint this with regret。That is, borrow Yongmei to express his worries and thoughts about home mountain。This is closely related to the painter's early experience. The "Borrow Mountain Hall" in the title is a favorite old residence of Qi Baishi, and the time lived here is an important stage in the formation of Qi Baishi's artistic achievements 。

　　In 1900, Qi Baishi, who had two children and two daughters, increasingly felt that the old Xingdou Tang house he lived in was too narrow and wanted to change to a new house。It happened at this time that Qi Baishi was introduced by friends as a Jiangxi salt merchant in Xiangtan County drawing Nanyue full map, as a salt merchant tour Hengshan seventy-two peaks of remembrance。In order to meet the requirements of the salt merchants, Qi Baishi deliberately colored particularly heavy, twelve Zhongtang light stone green color used a full two jin, the painter had self-mockery is a laughing stock。However, the salt merchant himself was very satisfied and paid Qi Baishi 322 silver, which was a remarkable amount at that time。It is also this high price of painting, so that Qi Baishi painting reputation even greater up。With this painting money, Qi Baishi rented the Plum Temple located under Lianhuazi in Shikou。Plum Temple around the beautiful scenery, not out of the ancestral hall can see the endless plum blossom on the Yuxialing, Qi Baishi renamed the plum blossom library, and in the ancestral hall carefully selected location to add a study, in which to read and paint, named borrow mountain Yin。Once a friend asked Qi Baishi what he meant by borrowing mountains, and the painter replied: "Mountains are not my own, I just borrow them for amusement!"

　　In 1904, Wang Kaiyun called Qi Baishi (a carpenter), Zhang Zhongyang (a blacksmith) and Zeng Zhaoji (a coppersmith) to climb up and have a drink. During the dinner, Wang Kaiyun sang the first verse to the disciples, and all three were speechless。This made Qi Baishi greatly ashamed, but also realized his shortcomings in poetry, can not be called a poet, so borrow the mountain museum "Yin" word removed, changed his name to borrow mountain museum, from then on more hard to study, literary literacy greatly improved, even in his later years when the summary of his achievements are first promoted to "poetry first".。

Part of Red Plum Tree

　　During my time at the Jishan Pavilion，Qi Baishi returned five times，He traveled more than half of China in eight years，I saw a lot of old painters，Made a lot of high-end friends，Broaden one's knowledge，Broaden one's horizon，Painting skills and polish also improved，It has obtained a considerable profit，Poor living conditions improved，Is the most pleasant period in art and life。This elegant and self-satisfied rural literati painter, in this period of good mood, light poetry has made hundreds of as many as the drawing of the "borrow mountain Museum Album" 52, 24 scenes of the stone gate and so on。In his future poems and paintings, he has also mentioned borrowing the mountain museum many times, and his works often sign "borrowing the mountain Weng", "borrowing the mountain doorman", "borrowing the mountain old man", "borrowing the mountain Minstook" and so on are related to this beautiful life experience, which shows that he values this period of life。

　　This "Red Plum Map" was created in 1921, when Qi Baishi had settled in Beijing, the turmoil of the situation made him more nostalgic for the comfortable life of the borrowed mountain Pavilion, after the war, I did not know whether the plum tree was in the mountain pavilion, so as to make the memory of the plum blossom to ease their homesickness。In the painting, the trunk of the plum blossom is as old as iron, and the brush is simple and simple, written on the side, and the ink is thick and light. The control of the brush and ink and the use of flying white are just right, and the composition from the bottom up is more vigorous and strong。The plum blossom is stained with pure magenta, pure and pure, extremely red, with heavy ink dots, so that the red plum blossom is more fresh and bright against the ink color。The branches also use heavy ink, with the stone pen method of quick pen, highly concise, no tired pen ink, although a few strokes but lifelike。Turn to a fine title, a piece of nostalgia leap of feeling on the paper。

　　Qi Baishi uses his unique artistic language to make the plum blossom under his pen both cool and elegant, not with the evils of The Times, but also with the stubborn and stubborn beauty of rebirth in the war。In order to convey the meaning of the painting, not only chanting plum, but also through the plum blossom to express the heart of the hometown and the yearning for a comfortable life, I hope that the hometown of the war can be as strong as the plum blossom under the pen, relatives can be free from the suffering of war, live a quiet life。In this plum blossom has become the painter's carrier of emotion and the feeling of life, the vulgar is still elegant, detached from things。