Qi Baishi and Xu Beihong once wrote unforgettable stories in the art world. The "Wonderful Nature-Qi Baishi's Boutique Exhibited in Xu Beihong Memorial Hall" sponsored by Xi Art Museum and Xu Beihong Memorial Hall was unveiled in An today. The 46 original works of Qi Baishi collected by Xu Beihong in that year were exhibited to the public for the first time free of charge, including precious documents such as letters and old photos between Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi. Yesterday, Xu Beihong's grandson Ji Xu came to Xi. While serving as an art exhibition commentator, he also told a little-known story of Qi Baishi wandering in the painting world, praising Qi Baishi as the strongest "drifting north" in history.
Chinese name: Qi Baishi
Alias: formerly known as Chunzhi, Zi,No. Lanting.
Nationality: China.
Ethnic group: Han nationality
Place of birth: Xiangtan, Changsha, Hunan
Date of birth: 1864 65438+ 10/.
Date of death:1September 1957 16.
Occupation: artist
Graduate school: private school
Faith: Chinese studies
Main achievements: master of modern Chinese painting and world cultural celebrity.
Representative works: oil painting "Frog sound ten miles away from the mountain spring" and "Ink Shrimp"
The 46 original paintings of Qi Baishi exhibited this time were either presented to Xu Beihong by Qi Baishi in those years, or Xu Beihong bought them from Qi Baishi at three times the price to help him in his early life. When Xu Beihong died, Xu Jia had more than 70 works by Qi Baishi, and the 46 original works produced this time were published for the first time. The reporter saw at the scene that the works on display were not large in scale, and the flowers, birds, insects, fish, shrimps and crabs in the picture were full of fun, bright in color, simple and vivid in shape and simple in artistic conception. Among them, Qi Baishi drew a chrysanthemum picture at the age of 92, and he also drew a lotus shrimp with Zhang Daqian. It is reported that all the works on display are cultural relics filed in National Cultural Heritage Administration and are not allowed to circulate in the market, but according to the market valuation, the value of these works is about 700 million yuan.
According to experts, it is really difficult to verify the specific creation date of a work by Qi Baishi. Ji Xu told reporters that some of the works of Baishi's old man were completed in different years: the Cordyceps in some works is particularly exquisite and vivid, and expert research was done in the early years. But later, some large groups of flowers, shrimps and crabs, branches and leaves were completed. Perhaps it was Qi Baishi who took advantage of his good eyesight when he was young, painted and preserved those fine objects in advance, and then re-recorded some objects that didn't cost his eyes in his later years. The work looks as complete as before, and the quality of the work is guaranteed by selling paintings to support the family. "So the old man Baishi is definitely the strongest' North drift' in history." Wei Xu said humorously.
Many works on the market this time also witnessed the friendship between Xu Beihong and Qi Baishi. Ji Xu told the reporter a short story. At an art exhibition, Xu Beihong saw Qi Baishi's works hanging in an inconspicuous corner, and the price was less than that of a third-rate painter in 8 yuan. Xu Beihong immediately hung the painting in the center of the exhibition hall, raised the painting price to 80 yuan and lowered his own work to 70 yuan. From then on, Qi Baishi became famous overnight in Beijing.