Triple play in reshaping Chinese painting(3)

Red Lotus (1961) by Pan Tianshou. Photo provided to China Daily

Qi Baishi and his disciples further extended Wu's influence to Beijing and the bordering areas and based on which, Qi developed his own style.

His Pine Tree and Eagle fully demonstrates Qi's capability in presenting variations of ink color and handling thick and thin lines. Qi was famous for meticulously detailing insects and sculpting birds.

"Qi infused to perfection the literati's sentiment with senses of rustic life. He laced his works with humor and childlike innocence," Deng says.

Wu started to learn painting systematically in his 30s. For years he explored extensively with seal cutting, calligraphy and epigraph art which further nourished his mastery of ink-and-wash painting.

"Wu is unrivaled in carving out a niche in painting, calligraphy and seal art. If we should name the best 10 calligraphers, seal artists and painters, Wu appears on all the three lists. Few can approach his accomplishments in art history," Chen Zhenlian, deputy president of the prestigious Xiling Society of Seal Art, told Southern Metropolis Daily. An ongoing exhibition at the Zhejiang Art Museum commemorates Wu and the society's 110th birthday. Wu was elected the Hangzhou-based society's first president in 1913.

"He possessed strong social awareness. He believed artists should not just paint for themselves. Art should serve the public."

IF YOU GO

Tracing the Past, Painting the Future

9 am-5 pm, Sept 4-25. National Art Museum of China, 1 WusiDajie (Street), Dongcheng district, Beijing.

010-6400-1476.

The Strength of Xiling—Works of the Society's Seven Presidents

9 am-5 pm, closed on Mondays, until Aug 31. Zhejiang ArtMuseum, 138 Nanshan Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

0571-8707-8700.