Page 178 - Christies March 16, 2017 The Varata Collection NYC

º 649 齊白石 旭日東昇 設色紙本 立軸 一九一九年作

QI BAISHI (1864-1957) 題識：晉卿先生屬正。己未（1919年）秋，白石翁。
Sunrise over Water 鈐印：齊大、戊午後以字行
出版：曹仲英，《虛谷與齊白石繪畫》，華盛頓大學出版社，1993年，第259頁。
Hanging scroll, ink and color on paper
51 º x 20 ¬ in. (130.2 x 52.3 cm.)
Inscribed and signed, with two seals of the artist
Dated autumn, jiwei year (1919)
Dedicated to Jinqing

$500,000-700,000

LITERATURE

Jung Ying Tsao, The Paintings of Xugu and Qi Baishi, University of Washington Press,
Seattle and London, 1993, p. 259.

As an artist who was unconventional in his style of painting, Qi Baishi was a master 齊白石是一位大膽創新的藝術家，反對因襲保守，善於在簡單的生活中發現美，
of depicting simple scenes that evoked the nature and essence of his subject. 往以生活中自然題材入畫，意境渾厚樸素，洋溢著濃厚的鄉土氣息，全面改變了
Integrating his rural upbringing and observations of nature with rustic simplicity, he 二十世紀近代中國書畫的面貌。
boldly championed a new style of painting instead of only emulating masters of the
past. 出生湖南湘潭農家的齊白石雖自幼喜愛繪畫，但因生活貧苦，沒有隨師習畫的機
會。青年時拜木工周之美（1840-1906）為師，習得多種典型人物刻法，並依
Born into a peasant family in Xiangtan, Hunan province, Qi Baishi was fond of 照《芥子園畫譜》畫過神佛、人物。一八八九年二十七歲時，他又拜得湘南名士
painting since he was a child. Unable to apprentice under painters at the time, he 胡自倬（1847-1914）為師，才正式學習山水和花鳥。受其師影響，齊白石早年
worked as a wood carver and honed his skills under Zhou Zhimei (1840-1906). 花鳥畫作民間氣息重，用筆工細，以八大山人（1626-1705）、金農（1687-
Despite his limitations in his youth, he tried to learn to paint through studies of 1763）、徐渭（1521-1593）諸家為宗。
The Mustard Seed Garden Manual. In 1889, he was able to receive formal artistic
training under Hu Zizhuo (1847-1914), a renowned literati artist from Qi’s hometown, 一九一〇年代末，齊白石移居北京，以賣畫治印維生，機緣巧合下，認識了對其
who also taught him fower-and-bird and landscape painting. Through his master’s 花鳥畫風影響甚深的陳師曾（1876-1923）。當時齊白石的仿八大花鳥畫風格孤
infuence, he mostly created his fower-and-bird paintings through the meticulous 寂清逸，不為京人所喜，賣畫乏人問津。一九二〇年，他聽從陳師曾勸告，決定
gongbi techniques, while also studying in the styles of old masters, such as Bada 另立一格，自創紅花綠葉的寫意畫風，大膽以豔麗顏色寫花果，用綠色寫枝葉，
Shanren (1626-1705), Jin Nong (1687-1783), and Xu Wei (1521-1593). 對比強烈。

In the late 1910s, Qi Baishi moved to Beijing, where he sold paintings and carved 《旭日東昇》作於一九一九年，正為齊白石藝術生涯中重要的轉折點。畫上鈐“
seals. While his paintings were not selling very well in Beijing at the time, he luckily 齊大”及“戊午後以字行”兩印。“戊午後以字行”印為齊白石一九一八年自
befriended Chen Shizeng (1876-1923) who convinced the artist to start painting in 刊，現藏於北京畫院，僅見鈐於一九一八、一九一九年前後少數作品。畫面上一
a new style, one which involved strong color contrasts between dark ink and bright 輪紅日，天佈彤雲，霞光萬道，天空呈現紅、橙、紫各色，極為絢麗；一江碧浪
foral colors, which lead to his tremendous success. 以流暢的線條勾勒出，前景線條用墨稍濃，筆下線條細膩而自然，畫面深遠處則
用墨漸淡，直至勾勒變為渲染。本幅日出作品用色鮮艷大膽，有別於傳統中國畫
Dated 1919, Sunrise over Water was painted around what is considered the turning 著色，齊白石對構圖佈局的創意獨具更可見一斑。
point of Qi Baishi’s career. The painting features two seals, qi da and wuwu hou
yizixing. The latter, which states that the painting was done after wuwu year (1918)
and is now housed in Beijing Art Academy, is a relatively rare seal, used mostly
in the paintings from 1918 and 1919. Qi expertly renders the billowing clouds in
purplish hues, juxtaposed with light washes of orange and pink under the blood
orange sun. Fluid lines of fuchsia and grey make up the undulating waves in which
Qi rolls the brush, shifting from thicker to thinner strokes. Despite the strong and
unconventional colors, Qi Baishi’s use of expert technique and composition conveys
a calm sunrise that is both masterful yet inviting.

174 THE MARIE THERESA L. V I R ATA C O L L E C T I O N OF ASIAN ART: A FAMILY LEGACY