Hollyhock

Qiu Ti was a prominent member of the “Storm & Stress Society”(Juelan Society) and a pioneer woman of modern Chinese art. Her artistic practice was consistently dedicated to internalizing Western modernism and transforming it into a highly personal visual language. Hollyhock was created in 1939 during the the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, and it continued this exploration. Even in turbulent days, she remained committed to the refinement of formal language, upholding the freedom and dignity of art. The work synthesizes delicate layers of light and shadow with flat blocks of colors, it integrates the chromatic relationships of Post-impressionism with the sincere expressiveness of Naïve art. It also incorporated the simplicity and vitality of folk decorative art. The hollyhock have symbolized resilience and vigor since ancient times, and this work can also be seen as a metaphor to safeguard beauty and the spirit of freedom amid turbulent days. Qiu Ti’s extant paintings numbered only around twenty, thus this work was particularly rare.