Gu Kaizhi

Admonition of the ladies-in-waiting (detail)

Gu Kaizhi ( Chinese  顧 愷 之  /  顾 恺 之 , Pinyin Gù Kǎizhī , W.-G. Ku K'ai-chih ; * 344 ; † 405 ) was a Chinese painter whose picture scroll Admonition of the Court Ladies is the oldest painting with a signature. According to historical records, he was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province , and painted for the first time in Nanjing in 364.

In 366, Gu Kaizhi became an officer ( Da Sima Canjun ). He was later promoted to royal officer ( Sanji Changshi ).

He was also a talented poet and calligrapher . He wrote three books on the art of painting:

• About painting
• An introduction to the famous sculptures of the Wei and Jin Dynasties and
• Article about the representations of Mount Yuntai .

Gu Kaizhi wrote, “In figure painting, clothing and appearance are not particularly important. The eyes are the soul and the decisive factor. "

See also

• Chinese painting

literature

• Arthur Waley : An Introduction to the Study of Chinese Painting , London 1923 (Chapter V: Ku K'ai-chih).

Web links

Commons : Gu Kaizhi  - collection of images, videos and audio files