Mountain in Spring, Qi Baishi

The painting of a daxieyi (unstrained free-hand brushwork) style also features sparkling details. With few and unsophisticated brush strokes, Qi gives a vivid depiction of the dynamics of the running water flowing into the river. He gave the painting warmth and vitality by applying light colors to only a few trees on the mountains.

The work departs from the typical isolation and pride of literati painting, and is instead rich in the flavors of ordinary people's lives. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]