Drunkard 1935

Qi Baishi made this ink painting, *Drunkard*, with a brush, probably in one sitting. Look at the image closely – doesn’t the artist’s touch seem so light and free? I really get the sense of Baishi’s ease with the materials and the subject! I can imagine him, maybe a little tired at the end of a long day, deciding to just let it all hang loose and make this painting of a man at rest. Look at the big sweeping strokes, the kind of gesture that suggests he wasn’t overthinking it, but just letting his hand move and the ink flow to make the image. These marks are so confident, almost like he didn’t pick up his brush until he was done. Then, in contrast, there are those moments of real precision, when the painting seems to focus – like the drunkard’s face. How do artists do that? That perfect combination of free movement with deliberate control? Painters like Baishi always remind me to loosen up and trust the process.