Qi Baishi: Wisteria and Bees – Masterpieces of Oriental Art
Qi Baishi, a great master of traditional Chinese painting, had a profound affection for wisteria. His depiction of wisteria vines resembles dancing snakes, with clusters of purplish-red blossoms in full bloom. Amidst this vibrant display, Master Qi used heavy ink and burnt ink to anchor the composition. Several intersecting vine strokes create a rich sense of layering, while the bold color contrast infuses the painting with vitality. The entire picture plane appears intricate yet not cluttered, static yet dynamic, evoking the image of graceful wisteria swaying gently in the breeze.
By his 70s, Qi’s skill in painting vines had reached remarkable maturity. He drew inspiration from Wu Changshuo’s robust style but developed his own distinctively clear and vigorous brushwork. After numerous experiments, Qi Baishi finally established his signature style of painting wisteria—lively, fresh, and with perfectly balanced ink tones.
Around his 80th year, Qi’s approach to painting vines underwent another transformation. He moved away from complex compositions, instead pursuing simplicity in structure while embracing more vibrant colors.
Painting bees was Qi’s unique special skill. He could not only capture bees in flight but also convey the sensation of fluttering wings and even the “buzzing” sound. The master brought this tiny creature to life with extraordinary skill, capturing not just its form but also its spirit—truly fulfilling his ambition to “portray ten thousand insects and breathe life into a hundred birds.”
Qi was well aware of his exceptional ability to paint bees and valued this skill highly. He set his own pricing for paintings on multiple occasions. His 1920 price list stated: “For flowers with insects/birds, add 10 yuan per creature. For wisteria with bees, add 20 yuan per bee. Those who undercut prices profit at others’ expense—I do not welcome such practices.” Clearly, the fragrance of flowers came at a price.
齊白石：紫藤蜜蜂 — 東方藝術的傑作
國畫巨匠齊白石對紫藤情有獨鍾，他筆下的紫藤藤蔓如蛇般靈動，幾串紫藤開得姹紫嫣紅。在紫藤的一片熱鬧中，白石老人用重墨和焦墨鎮住畫面，幾筆縱橫交錯的藤，顯得畫面更富有層次感，而且色彩對比也酣暢淋漓，整個畫面繁而不亂，靜中有動，讓人感覺姿態婀娜的紫藤在隨風搖曳。
白石老人 70 歲後畫藤功夫已相當純熟，他借鑒了吳昌碩的渾厚，但自己清健的筆風又與吳昌碩明顯不同。在經過多番嘗試後，齊白石最終確定了自己生動鮮活，濃淡得宜的藤蘿畫風。
到了 80 歲前後，白石老人畫藤又發生了變化。他不再強調畫面的繁雜，而是追求構圖上的簡練，同時在色彩上更加艷麗。
畫蜜蜂是白石老人獨創的絕技，他不僅能畫出蜜蜂飛舞的狀態，而且能畫出翅膀扇動的感覺和「嗡嗡」的聲音。白石老人把這一小小的生命畫得出神入化，不僅畫出了形，而且畫出了神，真真地實現了他所說的「為萬蟲寫照，百鳥傳神」的理想。
白石老人自知蜜蜂畫得好，故而非常看重。老人曾多次自定筆單，1920 年所定筆單這樣寫道：「花卉加蟲鳥，每一隻加 10 元。藤蘿加蜜蜂，每隻加 20 元。減價者，虧人利己，餘不樂見。庚申正月除十日。」可見，花香不是白給的。
From 国画巨匠齐白石：紫藤蜜蜂
