ZHONG CHENG

Qi Bai-Shi born in Xiangtan, Hunan, he is an influential contemporary Chinese painter. Qi Baishi and Zhang Daqian were notable as the best painting in the south and north. He began his artistic training in learning carpentry carved paintings under the instruction of master Xiao Xiang-Gai, Hu Shinyuan, Chen Siu-Fan and more. In his middle age, he traveled the world from the north to south enjoying the mountains and rivers. The journey broadened his horizons, and allowed him to enrich his work through imitating nature. In his later years, he carefully observe shrimp, crab, frogs, he would paint the quiet nature of landscape, flowers, birds, fruit, vegetable and even toys. "A wonderful painting is to paint between figurative and realistically, when the work is too realistic it is too kitsch yet when it is too figurative it is deceiving." In 1953, Qi Baishi was elected as the Chairman of Chinese Art Association. In 1957 he became the honorary president of Beijing Chinese Painting.