Bindweed, dodder 1946

Qi Baishi painted 'Bindweed, dodder' with ink and colour on paper. Look at how he's captured these morning glories. The confident strokes of red that form the blooms, contrasted against the subtler washes of grey for the leaves. I can almost imagine Qi Baishi at his desk, dipping his brush, and letting the ink flow onto the page. I wonder what he was thinking about as he made this? Perhaps he was contemplating nature and its constant transformations. The dragonfly, the cricket – each element placed with such precision, bringing a sense of liveliness to the scene. These are all creatures painted with so few strokes – it’s like Qi Baishi wants to evoke the feeling of a thing more than describe its appearance, like a memory. There’s a kind of conversation happening here, where he is in dialogue with past painters, while inventing something new and deeply personal. I can really see how painting is this embodied form of expression, allowing for multiple readings.