The enigma of ink

Exhibition visitor Zhong Wei says, "It is a great opportunity for fans of Bada Shanren to see some of his best works drawn from different museums and get a comprehensive picture of his art. I'm most impressed by the work A School of Fish. There are only six small fish, each different, which are set in a backdrop of great emptiness, (it's) so engaging that you want to look again and again".

Qi learned from Xu Wei and Zhu Da how to express himself without limits and was inspired by Wu Changshuo, a senior artist of the time, to introduce colors in an elegant way and add new aesthetic dimensions to the xieyi tradition.

Wu Changshuo integrated the varied styles of ancient Chinese characters and the practice of calligraphy into painting. His best-known depiction of plum blossoms, drawn with "iron wire-like" lines, indicates a scholarly integrity within him, while his graceful use of colors reflects a modern twist.

Wu Hongliang says that Qi was nurtured and inspired by his predecessors, but he was not restricted by them. He was willing to experiment and rejected self-admiration and seclusion, instead embracing the vigor of life and wit. "He was from the countryside. He loved the unsophisticated, warm aspects of rural life which he injected into the creatures, fruits and vegetables he drew, celebrating the magic of nature."

The late oil painter Hou Yimin once summarized Qi's work as "a unity of the finest and the simplest, common things".

Qi himself remained humble about his accomplishments.

He said: "I feast on mulberry leaves and honey provided by thousands (of great artists in history) so that I can spin and produce myself. I have toiled through many hardships and made small achievements, all owed to those mentors in the past and of my time."