This piece of "Lotus" by Qi Baishi is colored on paper. This work was made by Qi Baishi when he was 90 years old. The brushwork is simple and the meaning is rich. It is a typical "red flower ink leaf" style. Two lotus leaves are painted on the upper left side of the painting. The painter paints the lotus leaves with stone green, mixed with gamboge and ink, and uses fine strokes of brush to let the ink form a natural and harmonious surface in dry and wet, virtual and solid, and shades; then he outlines the veins of the leaves to form a shadow. A cover of green leaves. In order to give the green leaves something to rely on, the painter dipped in thick ink, mixed with stone green, and rendered large blocks of ink under the green leaves. The green leaves are made of ink that is thick and light, solid and virtual, with rich layers, and black and green reflect each other. Between the two leaves, paint the lotus flower with carmine. The flower buds are among the fields of lotus leaves, giving a feeling of "a little red among the green bushes". The artist drew a green vine stem from the right edge of the painting, so that it offset the lotus leaves, like an open green umbrella. The three rattan poles are of different thicknesses and lengths and cross each other. The lotus leaves in the painting are drawn with thick blocks, and the ripples at the bottom of the pond are drawn with thin lines. The undulating horizontal lines in the lower half give people a feeling of breeze blowing and water ripples.
Qi Baishi once said: "Every time I paint with insects and birds, the flowers and plants will naturally have a workmanlike spirit. If you paint ordinary flowers, the strokes will be mostly dissimilar, and it will never be like a lotus." View "Lotus Picture" , the brush used in this painting may be heavy and clumsy, or light, or rough, or delicate, with both strength and interest, full of the spirit of gold and stone; the ink color is hearty and dripping, and the red flowers and ink leaves (and green leaves) complement each other, full of vitality; Lotus leaves are bunched up, and dragonflies are dancing gracefully; in terms of composition, the upper part of the lotus is real but imaginary, the lower part is rippled, and the middle lotus stem connects the two parts.
Qi Baishi's paintings are concise, vivid, fresh in style, elegant and popular, full of rich flavor of life, and contain rich aesthetic taste. The reason why he is able to achieve high achievements in painting is not only due to his diligence of "not teaching for a day's leisure", but also due to his everlasting simplicity and kindness.