Wisteria 1910

Qi Baishi made this image of Wisteria with ink on paper. There is such energy in the brushstrokes, the way they vary from the boldest black to the sheerest grey wash. It’s all about the process: you can see the artist’s movement, his speed and assurance, in every mark. I’m drawn to the upper part, where these dense, almost chaotic lines create a dark canopy. It’s as if the wisteria is exploding outwards, a burst of growth barely contained by the edge of the paper. Then, look at how the darker, blobby marks that suggest the flowers turn into the thinnest tendrils that dangle, delicate. This piece reminds me of calligraphy, where the line is everything, where each stroke carries meaning. Qi Baishi shares that attention to mark making with Cy Twombly, though Twombly works with a grand sense of scale, while Qi Baishi retains the intimacy of traditional ink painting. Ultimately, it's a reminder that art is a conversation, a dance between artists across time and cultures.