清/現代　齊白石　仙人李鐵拐圖　軸|The Immortal Li Tieguai

Qi Baishi

undated · Framed hanging scroll; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

Qi Baishi delighted in painting the Daoist immortal Li Tieguai, whose unkempt appearance made a ready match for Qi’s quick brushwork and casual control of saturation. This depiction of Li shows him squatting by a brazier, an unusual posture that Qi seems amused by in his inscription: I wrote a poem about Li Tieguai [Iron-crutch Li]. It goes: If I throw away my gourd and crutch, Who will recognize me as an immortal? In this painting I added a cinnabar stove. Li looks more like a hungry ghost. Painted and inscribed by Baishi. --Translation after Keita Itoh and Lawrence Wu

Artist

Qi Baishi

Date

undated

Medium

Framed hanging scroll; ink and color on paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Bequest of Robert H. Ellsworth, 2014