Qin Hai Bird and Flower Paintings Collection

Author: Qin Haihui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Seeing Qin Hai's recent batch of new works, I was truly shaken—truly a case of "silent until it makes a stunning appearance." In the midst of his busy schedule, he has devoted himself to ink and brush for over two decades, achieving such a high level in freehand flower-and-bird painting and presenting such astonishing works. This success can be attributed to his cultivation in wisdom, spirit, and talent, as well as his wholehearted pursuit of Chinese painting. He admires the great masters such as Xu Wei, Ba Da, Wu Changshuo, and Qi Baishi. He studies them earnestly, deeply comprehends their essence, practices boldly, and dares to create. In his recent works, his style is refreshingly new, having stepped into his own artistic realm. In his exploration of artistic conception, imagery, and emotional expression, he pursues grand, macroscopic structural forms, absorbing symbolic elements from music, rhythm, and dance. He employs unique imagery and, filling his paintings with poetic charm and vitality. His works blend tradition with innovation, integrating the forceful structure and expressive mood of freehand flower-and-bird painting, combining simplicity with richness and unrestrained elegance. Thus, when his works, one can feel the overflowing passion with which he paints and the spirit of "when he strikes, the wind and rain obey, and before the brush touches the paper, his will has already consumed the scene." He handles the elements of painting with ease. He has matured. The value of an artist's work lies in having its own artistic language. But this is not determined by human will; it is the accumulation of the artist's emotions, cultivation, life experience, and artistic skills, gradually refined over time rather than designed. Innovation in freehand flower-and-bird painting is particularly challenging, requiring the artist to leverage their strengths, avoid weaknesses, create their own artistic language, and develop unique symbolic imagery on the canvas. The refinement of these symbols is both an transcendence of representation and an elevation beyond the ordinary. In his creative diary, he writes: "The universe holds great beauty without speaking, so painting must follow the scene as it unfolds, align with nature, and adjust density and lightness accordingly—thick to the extreme, thin to the extreme." In "My Love for My Home," he imbues the powerful eagle with more humanity and emotion, revealing his unique perspective in observing and understanding things. The swallows in "Gentle Breeze," doves in "Eternity of Earth and Sky," and turtledoves in "Distant Thunder," after his concise and refined brushwork, take on a distinct personal character. In summary, from his works, I see hope for the inheritance and innovation of freehand flower-and-bird painting. Today, it is an undeniable fact that freehand painting lags behind in the Chinese art scene, and the challenge lies in pursuing its artistic essence. However, Qin Hai's flower-and-bird paintings have caught my eye and deserve reflection. We must still advocate for artists to deepen their connection with life, gain insights from it, and infuse it with emotion, drawing nourishment from it. As Qin Hai says, "Life, insight, and sincerity are the elements of creation." He shows disdain for the current trend of contrived and artificial freehand painting. He believes: "If tradition is abandoned, what is left? Freehand painting values the 'emotion'—if the author lacks passion, the viewer cannot be moved. When the brush moves as if guided by the divine, it is the 'emotion' that leads the way." Qin Hai's success lies in his constant discussion, reflection, and practice, coupled with relentless dedication to painting. Over the years, he has held solo exhibitions at the Shandong Art Museum, the National Art Museum of China, and in Paris, France. His works have been collected by the Shandong Art Museum, the National Art Museum of China, the Research Institute of Chinese Painting, and overseas institutions. His works have been published and featured in magazines such as "Art," "Research on Chinese Painting," "Art Observation," and "People's Daily." He has published "Qin Hai Paintings" and "Qin Hai's Freehand Flower-and-Bird Paintings," and recently he will tour Taiwan with a new exhibition of his works.