清/現代　齊白石　虛齋鑑古圖　軸|Viewing Antiquities at the Studio of Humility

Qi Baishi

dated 1931 · Album leaf; ink and color on paper · Asian Art

When he was in his sixties, Qi Baishi applied calligraphic brushwork to other genres of painting, particularly landscape. Viewing Antiquities at the Studio of Humility effortlessly incorporates an archaic color scheme and landscape forms into an image of deceptive simplicity. The painting depicts a solitary gentleman in his study, arms folded on the table, contemplating a tray of objects. The scholar appears at home in a world of blue and red hills and schematic trees, motifs that convey Qi's knowledge of sixth-century murals at the Buddhist cave temples at Dunhuang but that are incorporated in an unpedantic manner in harmony with his folklike vision.

Artist

Qi Baishi

Date

dated 1931

Medium

Album leaf; ink and color on paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986