Portrait: AI-generated imagined likeness
Painter · Poet · Writer
A painter and writer from the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Known for his figure paintings and painting theory, he demonstrated the ideals of painting in the Six Dynasties culture. He is a person who understands the idea of depicting the spirit of a person in Chinese art.
View in catalogWuxi
Birth
Jiankang
Work
Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies
Painting
Development of Six Dynasties painting
360–405
Cultural event · Participant
Map: Natural Earth (PD)
He was born in an environment similar to that of the elite society of Jiangnan and was active in the court culture of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It was a time when aristocratic culture avoided the chaos of the north and refined poetry, calligraphy and painting.
He is known for his portrait paintings, which are associated with works such as the illustrations of the female proverbs, and he placed importance on depicting not only the form but also the spirit and mood. His painting theory had a great influence on later Chinese painting criticism.
There is an anecdote about Gu Qizhi that if you put the eyes in a portrait at the end, it will become alive. This is a good example of the idea that painting is not just realism, but a technique that expresses one's inner self.
When you study Gu Qizhi, you can see the flow of Chinese painting from religious paintings and decorations to literati culture, which expresses the dignity and spirit of a person. It becomes the basis of East Asian art history. It can also be used for comparison with surrounding areas from the same era. Differences in acceptance between regions can also be confirmed.
