MANNER OF QI BAISHI (1864-1957)

Apples and Lychees

Apples and Lychees
Ink and colour on paper, bearing signature Qi Baishi and with three seals of the artist, framed and glazed.
103cm (40 1/2in) long x 35cm (13 3/4in) wide.

齊白石（款） 太平多利圖 紙本設色 鏡框裝裱

Provenance: Max Morris (1910-2017), acquired in China in 1957, and thence by descent

Published and Exhibited: Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Modern Chinese Paintings from the Hafkin and Other Collections, Coventry, 11 July - 9 August 1964, no.42.

來源：Max Morris（1910-2017）舊藏，於1957年購自中國，並由後人保存迄今

展覽著錄：赫伯特藝術博物館，《Modern Chinese Paintings from the Hafkin and Other Collections》，考文垂，1964年7月11日-8月9日，編號42

Max Morris was born in London's East End to Russian immigrant parents. In his youth, he began working in his family's shoe business, P.Morris & Sons based in Shoreditch High Street. He served in the RAF during World War Two, as a French interpreter for air support crews in France, reaching the rank of sergeant.

In August 1957, Morris was part of a small trade delegation to China with the aim of fostering better understanding and trade between China and the UK. During this time, he visited some artists' studios and acquired paintings, some of which were later exhibited at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry.

In the 1980s he taught English at Toynbee Hall to primarily immigrants and was an active patron of the arts and charities. Two days before his 106th birthday he was awarded the British Citizen Award for his charitable work in a ceremony at the House of Lords on 7 July 2016.

Qi Baishi is perhaps the most famous Chinese artist of the 20th century. He is noted for his whimsical, playful, and seemingly simple style of painting. Born to a peasant family from Xiangtan, Hunan, Qi became a carpenter at 14, and learned to paint by himself. When he came across the 'Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting', that sparked his interest to paint. He did not start learning painting and calligraphy until he was 27. After he turned 40, he travelled, visiting various scenic spots in China. After 1917 he settled in Beijing. Some of Qi's major influences include the early Qing dynasty painter Bada Shanren (八大山人) and the Ming dynasty artist Xu Wei (徐渭). What is unique about Qi however, is that his works show no western influences, unlike most other contemporary artists in his time. Other artists praised Qi for the freshness and spontaneity that he brought to the familiar genres of birds and flowers, insects and grasses, hermit-scholars and landscapes.