Baiding

CHINA, Yunnan; Ming to Qing dynasty

Baiding was a monk, painter, calligrapher, and seal engraver who lived a nomadic lifestyle for many years until taking permanent residence at Xianghai Temple as a secretary.
In his earlier years, Baiding focused on figure painting, primarily depicting monks. He used an outlining technique executed with fluid strokes to render orchids with immense grace. The misty, soft effect of his works was achieved by spraying water over the damp outlines just prior to drying, resulting in a softening of the contours. Only a few works of Baiding remain, which include his orchid paintings kept at the Yunnan Provincial Museum in Kunming and the Ho’s Calligraphy Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan.