Dragonflies, crickets, grasshoppers, mantises, butterflies, as well as spiders, beetles, longhorn beetles, ladybugs, and soybean beetles... In Qi Baishi's writing, countless grass insects are either finely crafted or vividly depicted, vivid and lively, with a natural charm. Even the subtle differences between bees, wasps, wasps, and bumblebees that look similar can be accurately captured by the painter. Entering the third floor exhibition hall of the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts Museum, a lush greenery surrounds the exhibition "Asking Insects - Qi Baishi's Grass Dialogue". For the first time, the exhibition showcases Qi Baishi's grass and insect works in all categories, providing a fresh perspective on Qi Baishi's art from a natural science perspective. The audience seems to have transformed into "field explorers", observing the delicate world of insects while feeling Qi Baishi's observation and gaze on these small creatures. As the grand prize winning scheme of the 4th Global College Student Virtual Curation Competition (Qibaishi Track), a team of college students from Shandong University of Arts and Crafts focused on the theme of "White Stone+" and used Qibaishi's works of grass insects and entomology as a bridge to cross boundaries, paying tribute to Qibaishi's innovative spirit and attempting to plan such an experimental exhibition. Why are cicada wings so thin and transparent? How are the veins on dragonfly wings distributed? Is the structure of the meticulous grass worm in Qi Baishi's works accurate? With many questions in mind, the work team of Beijing Academy of Fine Arts and the team of university students have devoted themselves to the research of historical images and entomology. Xu Jun, the guiding teacher of the curatorial team and associate professor of the School of Humanities and Arts at Shandong Academy of Arts and Crafts, introduced that the team has visited the Insect Museum of China Agricultural University multiple times for investigation and learning. Through in-depth research, the team has learned about the identification and identification of insect species painted by Qi Baishi, the characteristics and preferred natural environments of insects, as well as the characteristics of field investigation and laboratory research work. Finally, the narrative content of this exhibition has been determined. This' folding knife foot 'is drawn too realistically! ”In the exhibition hall, several young viewers couldn't help but exclaim in admiration before depicting the work of praying mantis. Qi Baishi repeatedly outlined the joints and serrations of the mantis forelimbs in his artwork, reflecting his profound understanding of the mantis' hunting function. Close to the grass, praying mantis waits for the opportunity to move, dragonflies skim over the water, crickets flap their wings and sing... Qi Baishi has painted dozens of grass insects in his life, and his small life is filled with the warmth of life. It is also the deep gaze of Baishi, who bends down between heaven and earth, day after day to observe and depict, and to the microscopic world. The curatorial team juxtaposed Guo Pu's "Erya Yin Tu" (Qing Dynasty print) from the Eastern Jin Dynasty with various grass and insect paintings by Qi Baishi, hoping to reveal how insects have evolved from museum classification to artistic images, while inviting the audience to trace the romantic interest of ancient people in naming and painting to record the world. Exquisite works of flowers and birds such as "The Sound of Living Out" and "The Fragrant Flower Ribbon with Bees" showcase the harmonious scene of all things flourishing together in the artist's works. It is worth mentioning that the exhibition not only presents the grass and insect works of the old man Baishi, but also includes relevant insect specimens and popular science illustrations. The interactive devices specially set up in the exhibition hall make the grass and insects seem to be accompanying people around. Viewers can receive a field investigation manual and carefully search for the "clues" in Qi Baishi's works during the exhibition, or listen to the chirping of insects in the grass by pressing the device, or enjoy the dancing of insects in the flow of lamp shadows, following the footsteps of the painter "Asking Insects", experiencing the joy of field investigation, and feeling the tenderness of looking at everything at the same level. Wu Hongliang, the president of Beijing Academy of Fine Arts, stated that the works of Gongbi Caochong hold an important position among the more than 2000 works and documents of Qi Baishi collected by Beijing Academy of Fine Arts. This exhibition not only allows us to re-examine how the old man Baishi bent down to observe the world, but also opens up a new dimension of thinking by integrating art and science from the perspective of a young curatorial team, "said Wu Hongliang. This exhibition is jointly organized by the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Shandong Academy of Arts and Crafts, and Beijing Academy of Fine Arts. It is reported that the exhibition will last until October 11th. (New Society)