Born to a rural family in Hunan Province, Qi Baishi once earned a living on carpentry while teaching himself classic Chinese ink painting. His works often depict daily objects to transmit a worldly touch.

Meanwhile, Qi's art preserves a spirit of scholarly elegance and self-cultivation, making his body of works well-received among people from different walks of life.

Truthful Being of Mysterious Orient, an exhibition through January 12 in Athens, introduces European audiences to the aesthetic views and core values of Chinese art by showing a selection of Qi's works.

The exhibition, held at the gallery of B&M Theocharakis Foundation for the Fine Arts and Music, displays more than 120 works from the collection of the Beijing Fine Art Academy.

It not only pays homage to Qi, one of the greatest and most productive artists of 20th-century China, but also dwells on Chinese people's philosophical reflections on nature, truth and the meaning of life through Qi's outlook on the world.

(Source: China Daily)