Today, we are going to have a closer look some of the 24 water-bated woodcuts from Chen Qi’s print series that we introduced last week, “The 24 Solar Terms”.
“Beginning of Spring” symbolises the start of life, the beginning of the rebirth of all things, where birds taking off from the ground into the sky indicate the arrival of Spring, along with which grows hope.
Image: “Beginning of Spring”, woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 1994
Image: “《雨水》Rain Water”, woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 1993
Image: “《惊蛰》Waking of Insects”, 水印版画 woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 1993
The scene of “Spring Equinox” was taken from the window of Nanyi printmaking studio, where there was a tall plane tree with thick leaves and fruits every summer. When I saw the dead branches in the snowy scene, I naturally thought of its lush summer. The bird on the ground has a certain symbolism; I put myself in the picture, in the lonely cold, and had a dialogue with nature.
Image: “《春分》Spring Equinox”, 水印版画 woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 1993年
Image: “《清明》Pure Brightness”, 水印版画 woodblock print, 63cm×87cm, 2008年
Image: “《谷雨》Grain Rain”, 水印版画 woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 1993年
Chen Qi’s landscape is modern Chinese scenery, is the feeling of the injured and sleepwalkers suddenly pulled out of the world’s audio line, the earth suddenly frozen in the moment of absence, red dust is not far away, unable to escape, but these silent moments enough to explain the fate of the background colour.
-by Qiu Zhijie
Image: “《立夏》Beginning of Summer”, 水印版画 woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 2014年
Image: “《小满》Grain Full”, 水印版画 woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 1993年
Image: “《芒种》Grain in Ear”, 水印版画 woodblock print, 63cm × 87cm, 1994年
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If you missed Part 1, you can read here.