07 Nov Graced by Nature
Since ancient times, humanity has harbored countless imaginations about “fairylands,” projecting deep emotions onto depictions and writings of these mystical realms. The pursuit of such lands may have been a lifelong endeavor for people of various social ranks, including emperors and scholars. Compared to people today, the ancients lived in closer harmony with nature. They imbued the mountains and rivers with their ideals and emotions, imagining that immortals dwelled within, capable of guiding them toward ultimate truths and personal cultivation.
In this exhibition, Qian Yishi adopts the theme of the “fairyland” to present the ideal landscape envisioned by traditional scholars. His work draws compositional inspiration from Song dynasty paintings, featuring majestic central mountains with an awe-inspiring presence. He creates a livable and traversable landscape, combining the structure of Song painting with the brushwork of Ming artists to texture the mountains and rocks. The result is a fusion of realistic landscape contours and expressive brush techniques, inviting viewers into the wondrous fairylands long sought by the ancients.
About Qian Yishi:
Qian Yishi, styled Tuishi and also known by the pseudonym Yiyuan Yishi, was born in Shanghai in 1977. He currently serves as a staff member at the Shanghai Museum, where he is the head of the reproduction team for ancient calligraphy and painting, and he also teaches cultural relic restoration at the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts. Active in the art scenes across the Taiwan Strait, Qian continues to create prolifically. His refined techniques open new realms in ink painting, vividly capturing the essence of traditional calligraphy and painting. In the past five years, he has held numerous well-received exhibitions at venues including the Zhu Qizhan Art Museum, Duoyunxuan Art Gallery, Xizhitang, and Qianhe Art Space.