How did Qi Baishi become a great painter from a carpenter?

There is such a person who lived to be 94 years old and painted more than 40,000 paintings in his life. "I can paint thousands of insects in Qian Qian, but I can't see the dragons in the sky, so I can't paint." Nowadays, there is no doubt that he is called a master and a great artist, but at the age of 57, only a few masters with unique vision in China can evaluate his true value. It wouldn't be particularly strange if he happened to be ill or attacked by evil spirits, died at that age, had no name behind him, and rotted with vegetation. \ x0d \ x0d \ Who is this late bloomer? He is Qi Baishi, a down-to-earth Laoshan artist. \ x0d \ x0d \ In those days, there was a carpenter named Chunzhi, known as "Zhi Carpenter", who took some wood carving jobs in the four townships of Xiangtan. Because of his intelligence, he was able to absorb the skills of others, and he gradually gained a reputation. But he is a restless young man. He finds it interesting to look at other people's portraits, but after learning a few tricks at a glance, he goes to portrait, which is not only similar in appearance but also similar in spirit. At that time, people died in the countryside. Unlike today's ready-made photos, which can enlarge the portrait, we have to ask experts to make a "hasty seal" temporarily. Of course, the dead have to draw with their eyes open. In order to earn money to support his family, the cheese carpenter doesn't think this job is unlucky and frustrating. For this versatile young man, some people have long been absent-minded and can't bear to see his great talent wasted, so they came to him and asked him, "Would you like to learn authentic painting?" The wise carpenter replied, "I am very willing to learn painting, but my family is poor and I can't afford to read and learn painting." Someone said, "What are you afraid of? If you are ambitious, you can learn to paint and sell paintings to support your family, and you can get by. If you like, come to my house to talk when the work here is over! " Only then did Zhi recognize that the bearer was Hu Qinyuan, a famous local gentleman, who was called "Shou". Without saying anything, he immediately burned incense and bowed his head to recognize this high-level enlightened master. \ x0d \ x0d \ traditional scholars in China emphasize that it is well-founded. Hu Qinyuan pondered for a day, and first gave Ji Chun a new name, named "Huang" and "Near Life", which really made him elegant. Then, Hu Qinyuan sat still and talked about painting, calligraphy, epigraphy and poetry. Huang Qi has a lot to learn. Fortunately, Wang Kaiyun, a great scholar in Xiangtan County, is also an educator like Confucius and Old Master Q. His teaching is equal, and he has already taken in blacksmiths, coppersmith and carpenters, just making up the "three kings". A good teacher makes a good apprentice, and all three of them are very lucky. \ x0d \ x0d \ Huang Qi was 27 when he studied painting. Just as well, Su Xun, Su Shi's father, was famous all over the world because he didn't know how to read at this age, and became one of the eight masters in Tang and Song Dynasties. Carpenters learn seal cutting. One day, he asked his friend Tie An, "I can't carve well. What should I do? " Tie An gave him the stupidest prescription in the world: "Take a load of the cornerstone of Nanquanchong, grind it off with a carving knife, and paste it with three or four fast food boxes, and it will be carved." He is such a clever man, so he really worked hard and foolishly. He didn't mean to be opportunistic at all. He made the house full of water and mud, as if it were a disaster and there was no place to do it. One day, Li (the father of a linguist), who studied printing with him at the same time, said to him, "I'm dying, and I'm not going to learn printing." Qi Huang asked him, "Why?" Li replied, "My eyes are not good." Since then, Li has dropped out of school. Later, Qi Huang lamented: "If my family was from Song Like, there would be no today. "In the initial stage of artistic creation, there may really be a law of' the hungry die and the hungry live'. Picasso studied painting in Paris when he was young. He only had bread and water, not to mention Van Gogh, a Dutchman. He was wronged all his life, didn't eat enough meals, and was hot with hunger. \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Huang managed to print "Baishishan people" in his middle age, and became famous for it, known as Qi Baishi. He painted all his life, and there were almost no holidays. During his stay in War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression, he was trapped in Nanking. When he heard the news of his mother's death, he was very sad. He stopped working for three days and wrote a mourning letter. Mrs. Hu Jieqing, the wife of Lao She (like Xin, the female disciple of the old man Baishi in his later years) once said with deep feelings: A writer who can write works is great, but for the old man Baishi, it should be described as "painting while waiting for the house" or even "waiting for the house". \ x0d \ x0d \ What I admire most about Mr. Baishi is not that he is diligent and prolific, but that he is brave in reform at the age of 57. Other painters have long been eager to try, closing the door tightly, and even an ant can't get in, but he runs counter to it, changing his skillful painting style and pursuing a strange artistic environment. \x0d\\x0d\ The decline of the reform of the old man Baishi is because he is increasingly dissatisfied with his meticulous painting, which depends on what he said: \x0d\\x0d\ I have been painting for decades, so I decided to make a big change. I don't want people to know, just starve to death in Beijing, waiting for the public ... \ x0d \ x0d. Don't listen if people want to scold; I don't want to be happy if people want to be praised. \ x0d \ x0d \ Yu Ping's drawing is not smooth enough, so I don't want to draw any more. He wrote a poem to tell the good news: From now on, he will not laugh at and praise Qiu Lai. If you don't teach your heart at all, you will be happy. \ x0d \ x0d \ Yu's paintings after the age of 50 are as cold as ice, and few people know that he fled from his hometown to Beijing. Friends and teachers advised him to reform them, trust them and abandon them. \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Baishi is brave in reform, and the powerful proponent and promoter of the outside world is the contemporary great painter (that is, China scholar Chen Zhixiong). Chen Shiceng studied western oil painting in Europe, but he was also accomplished in Chinese painting. With insight and insight, he saw that Qi Baishi had a natural talent. If he broke the old rules and developed in the direction of freehand brushwork, his achievements would be limitless. \x0d\\x0d\ Huo Ran, an old man from Baishi, after several reflections, realized that "the paintings with big brush and ink are rarely the same, and the paintings with slender brush and ink are rarely vivid", and that "the beauty of painting lies in similarity and dissimilarity, and it is vulgar and deceives the world". He once told his disciple Lou Shibai: "Calligraphy and painting should not be satisfied with temporary achievements, but should be changed into one. ".\ x0d \ x0d \ There is another person who is in favor of the decline of Qi Baishi, that is, master Xu Beihong, who is famous for drawing horses. The old man Baishi wrote in the poem "Answering Xu Beihong's Painting Jiangnan": "Why can't I curse? Jiangnan dares to be alone with Xu Jun. It is said that my heart and hands are weird and ghosts and gods make it inhuman. "Visible Xu Beihong's evaluation of him is not generally high, but very high. In Beijing, they have cooperated many times, splashing ink and rendering with great fanfare. After painting, they smiled at each other, as if the universe was big, but it was only for you and me. With the strong encouragement of Chen Shiceng and Xu Beihong, two rare national players in the world, the reform of the old man Baishi will be full of confidence and confidence. \ x0d \ x0d \ is incredible. When Qi Baishi first entered Beijing in his fifties, he felt that "it is not easy to live in a big place". For a time, this Laoshan artist could not enter some closed circles. On one occasion, he went to a big official for dinner. Because he was dressed in ordinary clothes and had no friends to deal with, he was left out in the cold and embarrassed. He secretly regretted rushing to the meeting and asked for it. Qi Baishi was in a dilemma between whether to stay or not. Mei Lanfang, a big star, arrived and was very respectful to him. After a long greeting, he finally got back the face that the old man Baishi had thrown out. After returning home, out of gratitude, Qi Baishi carefully painted a picture of a timely rescue and presented it to Mei Lanfang. There are two lines in the poem: "Today I am reduced to Chang 'an. Fortunately, Mei Lang knows my name." Qi Baishi's painting name was limited at that time, and the painting price was only two silver dollars each, which was half lower than that of those painters without names. Later, the boss of Rong Baozhai, who knew the goods, was really embarrassed and automatically increased the price of his paintings by three times. Enthusiastic Chen Shiceng took Qi Baishi's Chinese painting to Japanese exhibition. After his witty remarks and the Japanese's insight into Chinese painting, the paintings on display sold at sky-high prices, which not only made Qi Baishi famous overseas, but also had great influence at home. Qi Baishi is grateful for Chen Shiceng's kindness in meeting him, which he will never forget. After Chen Shiceng died young, he wrote an affectionate poem in memory of his friend: \ x0d \ x0d \ You and I are two people, making friends is important and terrible. \ x0d \ x0d \ anything can be used for breasts, and fur is not expensive. \ x0d \ x0d \ Ghosts and monsters often meet from the bottom of the wrist. \ x0d \ x0d \ If you don't enter without me, I won't return. \ x0d \ x0d \ I said you knew, and you shouldn't be ignorant. \ x0d \ x0d \ It is enough to have a bosom friend in life, what's more, this bosom friend is an unparalleled national scholar. Needless to say, Chen Shiceng is Qi Baishi's friend and confidant. 19 17 In August, Chen Shiceng wrote a poem on Qi Baishi's "Borrowing Mountain Map", urging Laoshan painters to "paint from ancient times, why not bow down and seek common ground?" Chen Shiceng was not blindly boasting about Qi Baishi's paintings. If he is not satisfied, he will also express his views. Over the past six years (1917-1923), the two artists have been talking and cutting, and their hearts have been having peak conversations again and again. Unfortunately, no one cares about the spring flowers, and the jade-like cough goes with the wind. \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Baishi's old reform has finally been completed, and he has truly achieved the freedom to learn from foreign teachers. Only he knows the pain and joy of this kind of python shedding its old skin best: \ x0d \ x0d \ The van is always difficult to clean up, and it won't change after being closed for ten years. \x0d\\x0d\ always put in the spirit of suffering, and be clear from the heart. \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Baishi pays special attention to inheriting the tradition and passing it on to more teachers. His favorite painters are Xu Wei (Ivy), Shi Tao (Yuanji), Badashanren (Snow Song), Huang Shen (Gone with the Wind), Wu Changshuo (Lu) and others, all of whom have distinct artistic personalities and oppose cruelty. Qi Baishi is very arrogant in his bones, but he also wrote a poem that convinced him of his predecessors, which made him so timid: \ x0d \ x0d \ The green vine is far from embryo, and there is no talent in his twilight years. \x0d\\x0d\ I want to be a lackey in the grave, and the three families will get the next round! \ x0d \ x0d \ is willing to be Xu Qingteng's lackey. Qi Baishi is not the first person. The first man was Zheng Banqiao, a great painter in the early Qing Dynasty. Zheng Banqiao once had a seal engraved with the words "Xu Qingteng's lackey Zheng Xie". Qi Baishi, on the other hand, should not only be a "running dog" under the Ivy League, but also a "running dog" under the Badashan people and the Lujia family. It's really hard, but he is willing. I think that in the underworld, Qi Baishi met Xu Wei, Zhu Da and Wu Changshuo and insisted on worshipping them as teachers. I'm afraid all three senior experts are ungrateful and will say "kill the old lady" in unison. \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Baishi's temperament is as eclectic and varied as his paintings. Mr. Wang Senran described it this way: "Mr. Wang is as soft as a sheep, as anxious as a tiger, and no matter how urgent it is, it is out of date. Just like the storm has passed, there is only a breeze on the moon. Its feelings are often like idle clouds, its heart is like fire, the fire burns, the clouds are brilliant and beautiful. " So what does the old man Baishi think of himself? Professors of Beijing Institute of Art have been in the same boat with Baishi. The former painted a vivid portrait for the latter, and Qi Baishi's self-mockery was quite funny: "Zeng Jun is a painter, and this portrait can win the god of aging. Everyone who sees it will say that it is out of date with Qi Baishi. Yu Yue: Yes! Mr. Wang really understands people. Baishi Ji. " He thinks he is out of date, but I want to see how he is out of date. \ x0d \ x0d \ The most notable thing is that he lost his honor. 1903, Qi Baishi's friend Xia Shoutian advised him to go to Beijing for development, and the poet Fan Fanshan also promised to recommend him as a court painter to paint Empress Dowager Cixi. This is undoubtedly a good opportunity to reach the top. Don't think about it, you can reach out and grab it. However, Qi Baishi was insensitive to their kindness. Xia Shoutian is a big shot. He wants to donate a county magistrate to Dangdang, but he has no interest in finding land because of his younger brother. In Qi Baishi's mind, painting is the road to loneliness. You must be clear-headed and do not admire official positions in order to improve your painting. We can see from Qi Baishi's leisure chapter that his interest really lies in that he (art) is not here (official salary). He came from humble origins, but he was never ashamed of himself: Woodenhead, Woodenhead, the master's door, a carpenter from Chicago, a man from Baishishan, an old farmer from Hunan, and a well-fed man. This Laoshan artist sympathizes with all the weak people, sympathizes with insects and ants, and looks down on the most ignorant people in officialdom in my life. He has repeatedly mocked those masters who are big-eared, broad-minded and good at making crabs with paintings and poems, and his masterpiece "Tumbler" is even more ridiculous, like a smug straw bag, which deserves to be slapped in the face by Qi Baishi jokingly. \ x0d \ x0d \ will suddenly break you, where is the heart? \ x0d \ x0d \ people who have been self-reliant all their lives can look at officialdom coldly. Tang (Bohu), a charming man, wrote a poem saying, "No alchemy, no meditation, no wealth." Write when you have time, sell when you have time, and there will be no money in the world. More than 400 years later, Qi Baishi, a fellow Andhadhun, made a more proud voice. Think about it, they are wandering in the ocean of art, and that kind of pure fun, that kind of unpolluted sentiment, that kind of free state of mind is really not available to those hypocritical and black-hearted officials. Even if there are remnants in their hearts, they will destroy these "hamsters" as soon as possible. Qi Baishi walked all the way from the late Qing Dynasty, crossed the swamp of the Republic of China and looked at the endless images. He is still proud of the girder, without any obsequiousness. Instead, it is the supreme glory to be innocent, self-reliant and not scraping the cream of the people: \ x0d \ x0d \ Why use high officials and generous salaries to look down on the world, tirelessly carve insects and tricks, and grow old together? \ x0d \ x0d \ forget to stay up late at night and get up early in the morning. \ x0d \ x0d \ bullet is not salary, but it is not people's cream to eat. \ x0d \ x0d \ You are still blind, and you still laugh that Chang 'an is gluttonous. \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Baishi was frugal all his life and refused to entrust others with money matters. He always suspected that the world was full of cattle and horses. "Because there are fewer people and more ghosts, I always don't trust people. Even the chores at home are handled by themselves, and even the oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea, rice and noodles are managed by themselves. Chop vegetables and dishes with pen and ink, and manage the doors and windows keys by yourself. This kind of life is annoying to others, and my husband is interesting. " (Wang Senran's Biography of Mr. Qi Huang) However, his shrewdness is indeed limited, and the liar's forehead is not wiped. Nature is impossible to prevent. He was cheated more than once and twice. Someone once came to the door and offered to help him sell paintings in Hong Kong. In a few words, he easily coaxed away the ornament he personally ordered. He is happy, but he is happier. When he went back, he just sold fake paintings in public. Mr. Li Kuchan, the great disciple of Qi Baishi, once wrote an article exposing the teacher's "shortcomings": \ x0d \ x0d \ "Mr. Qi is stupid about things other than art and is often cheated. At that time, due to the national turmoil, it was common for paper money to suddenly become waste paper. Teacher Qi didn't know how much hard-earned money he lost before he thought of buying gold. He showed me the gold he bought without telling me. I was surprised:' Is there any green gold?' The teacher knew that he had suffered another loss, but he was afraid to tell anyone for fear of getting into trouble. It's really dumb to eat Rhizoma Coptidis and suffer in the stomach. "(Memories of Teacher Bai Shiweng's Two or Three Events) \ x0d \ x0d \ It is not surprising that artists are naive, and their hearts are like children. Once, foreign guests visited his scene to paint, and everyone smiled and praised him, but the old man Baishi was unhappy, for nothing else, because foreigners didn't give a thumbs up! \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Baishi's pursuit of "natural spirit" from spontaneity to self-consciousness got rid of a craftsman spirit and reached the mysterious palace of natural beauty. I think, if a person wants to change the law in his later years, his courage is no less than that of a knight-errant who "although ten thousand people have gone." The old man Baishi dares to change suddenly, not gradually, and he will take the risk of "from ruin" in his artistic style. Amid ridicule-some even called his poems "Xue Pan Style"-he came alive vigorously, which was by no means the result of God's blessing and luck, but his genius understanding and artist's strength conquered three graces, thus winning the golden apple. \ x0d \ x0d \ It suddenly occurred to me that the Qing Dynasty also experienced the decline of political reform, but the "Reform Movement of 1898" only left traces of bloodshed. In the history of China, political reform is always unpopular and difficult to succeed, so our country and people have been weak, poor and ignorant for thousands of years, constantly invaded by foreign enemies and plundered by internal thieves. Of course, you can plausibly say that politics and art are completely different things. The former is group behavior, while the latter is individual labor. It's true. But even in literature and art, the reform in the declining year is a rare successful example, because few old people with stars on their temples are willing to tear down the eight pagodas they have built for many years, even if they are only a few dilapidated thatched cottages, they will struggle to persist. So why do they still have the courage and heart to rebuild Huayu? \ x0d \ x0d \ Qi Baishi's greatness is becoming more and more obvious, which proves at least one point. The real talent of heaven and earth is limited only by style, not by age. In my opinion, the "International Peace Prize" awarded by the World Peace Council by Qi Baishi in his later years is just a snowflake falling on the top of Mount Everest, which is not enough to increase its height. As for the young revolutionary who destroyed his tombstone during the Cultural Revolution, it shows that artists in this country not only didn't get the respect they deserved before their death, but also didn't get the necessary peace after their death. However, even if the official abuses it, it will not hurt its phoenix. \ x0d \ x0d \ But some people kindly pointed out that195365438+In February, Qi Baishi wrote the full text of "The General Line of the Party in the Transitional Period" for the Northeast Museum at the age of 90. I wonder if this is the work of a great artist. I don't think there is a standard answer to this question today, and there is no need for any standard answer at all. At this time, he was happy and began to write. It's that simple. You don't have to treat that word as a rare treasure, you can read it as a pure historical loose leaf. If you have good understanding and good eyesight, you may be able to see other words through the cracks.