Leonardo da Vinci once said: “Painting is poetry that is seen rather than heard, and poetry is painting that is heard rather than seen.” In Chinese traditional paintings you can see a superb union of literature and visual art. Many accomplished painters in ancient China were at the same time poets and calligraphers. But in modern China only a few artists have the talents to incorporate poetry and calligraphy with painting. Chen Baodi is one of these versatile artists who can freely express his understanding of life both in words and through his brush.

The “four gentlemen” referring to the four noble plants and flowers — chrysanthemum, bamboo, orchid and plum blossom — embody the ideals of the literati spirit. Painting the “four gentlemen” has become Chen’s first steps in his artistic career. As ancient Chinese put it, “An artist should spend a lifetime on painting orchid and half time on bamboo.” It may seem to be simple, but each brushstroke calls for a good control of brush. Known for his orchid painting, Chen is a master of a pure and simple, but elegant style. Throughout his artistic creation, he has stuck to the principle of “less is more” which has been a leitmotif of Chinese arts for centuries.

To the Chinese, “painting is poetry and poetry is painting” has been one of the criteria for excellent works of art. Chen’s paintings of “four gentlemen” incorporate poems and calligraphy as graphic embodiments of the ideal of the perfections and their intimate links in artistic practice. Such art work is not easy to complete because even a tiny slip of the brushstroke or words could ruin the whole work.

Chen’s calligraphy and paintings are of a high artistic value. He studied with Wang Xuetao, a master of flower-and-bird paintings, when he was 19. For decades he has experimented with new techniques and explored new possibilities for the development of Chinese traditional ink painting. After decades of effort, Chen has developed his own style. Under his brush, traditional ink painting and calligraphy take on a modern look and reflect the nature of his emotion to an incredible perfection.