Drunkard 1935

Qi Baishi painted this Drunkard with ink on paper, and look how the marks and the colour are really all about process. The varying ink densities capture the vulnerability of this figure collapsed in a heap, the darkest ink used to describe the creases in the man’s clothes, framing the negative space that makes up his body. I keep coming back to the man’s face, barely visible, just a few strokes of the brush, and yet you know everything you need to know. It’s the economy of the image which creates the impact. It reminds me of the work of Gaston Lachaise, an artist who knew how to capture mass and volume with a minimum of means. Ultimately it’s the simplicity that makes this piece so affecting, it feels deeply personal and open to multiple interpretations.