GOURDS - 香港藝術館藏品 HKMoA
This pattern depicts details from HKMoA’s priceless ink-wash art painting “Gourds” by world-revered Chinese master artist Qi Baishi.
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Qi Baishi's works are mostly based on things from his daily life, combining traditional brushwork of Chinese painting, resulting in works of literati interest and a distinctive folkloric atmosphere that is simple and sincere, which appeals to both refined and popular tastes. He uses gourds, which were common in his early life in the countryside, in his paintings, he applies thick ink and ochre to the leaves, with the ink dripping freely; he draws the vines with the tip of the brush, rigid and flexible, as if they were flying, showing overall Qi Baishi’s inheritance of Xu Wei, the master of expressive (xieyi) paintings in the Ming dynasty. The gourd is also finished with just a few strokes, and the vine yellow is bright and vibrant, forming a strong contrast with the ink leaves. The entire painting is done with the boneless (mogu) method, with refined brushwork and simple forms, not seeking to paint in detail, but rather using variations in brushwork and ink to achieve a sense of form, demonstrating Qi Baishi's pursuit of “a balance between resemblance and unlikeness”.
齊白石的作品多取材自日常生活所見的事物，結合傳統國畫的筆墨，令其作品既有文人意趣，亦流露出獨特的民間鄉土氣息，質樸真率，雅俗共賞。他以早年在農村生活常見的葫蘆入畫，大筆塗抹濃墨及赭石成葉片，墨色淋漓酣暢；以中鋒寫藤蔓，筆意瀟灑挺勁，宛轉如飛，整體可見齊白石對明代大寫意畫之宗徐渭的繼承。葫蘆同樣僅以寥寥數筆即成，藤黃用色明快鮮活，與墨葉形成強烈對比。此作通幅以沒骨法完成，用筆精煉，造型簡潔，不求細畫精描，而以筆墨變化，達至意到形到，展現出齊白石對「似與不似之間」的追求。
齊白石（1844 – 1927），湖南湘潭人，著名近代中國畫家，與張大千並稱「南張北齊」。幼年曾學木工，後學書畫刻印，其後於北京賣畫。齊氏擅畫山水、花鳥、草蟲、人物等，晚年作品用筆縱放，造型簡練質樸，在學習石濤、朱耷、徐渭的基礎上，吸收吳昌碩的技法，終形成「似與不似之間」的大寫意風格，自成章法。
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Painting: "Gourds" by Qi Baishi (葫蘆)(齊白石)
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*香港藝術館藏品This collection is collaborated by the Hong Kong Museum of Art and SPARKLE COLLECTION.
