Qi Baishi was an influential Chinese painter who is credited for modernizing the gongbi style of classical Chinese painting. Qi was born on January 1, 1864 in Xiangtan, China to a peasant family. Initially trained as carpenter, he taught himself to paint using the Manual of the Mustard Seed Garden, a painting guidebook from the Qing dynasty era. His earliest works included performers, everyday people, and animals, and he soon developed a reputation for his wide variety of subjects. Qi initially closely followed the gongbi tradition, a uniquely Chinese form of realism that favors fine brushstrokes and meticulous detail. He was introduced to the xeiyi, or freestyle method of painting, by mentor Wu Changshuo, and began employing a more lively ...