The artistic legacy of Gu Kaizhi survives primarily through silk handscroll copies, which preserve his influence on Chinese painting long after his death in Nanjing in 0406. Active during the Eastern Jin dynasty, he established foundational theories on portraiture, asserting that an individual’s spirit was captured through the eyes rather than through physical adornments or clothing.
Political and Artistic Career
Born in 0345 in Wuxi, Gu Kaizhi engaged in both administrative and creative roles. His career began in 0364 when he started painting in Nanjing. By 0366, he secured a position as Da Sima Canjun, serving as an assistant to the Minister of Defense. He later transitioned into the role of a royal officer, known as Sanji Changshi, or Gentleman in Waiting to the Emperor. Throughout his life, he also practiced as a poet and calligrapher.
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Gu authored three significant texts regarding painting theory: On Painting, the Introduction of Famous Paintings of Wei and Jin Dynasties, and Painting Yuntai Mountain. These writings formalized his approach to visual art, emphasizing that facial expressions served as the decisive factor in successful figure compositions.
The Admonitions Scroll
The Admonitions of the Instructress to the Court Ladies is widely attributed to his style, though surviving versions are copies dating from the 6th to 8th centuries. The work illustrates political satire by Zhang Hua. Originally part of an imperial collection, the scroll was looted by the British army in 1900 and is currently housed in the British Museum. A complete twelve-scene version, produced during the Song dynasty, remains in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Nymph of the Luo River and Other Works
Gu illustrated the poem Nymph of the Luo River by Cao Zhi. Five copies exist, held in museums in Beijing, Taipei, Washington, D.C., and Liaoning. Another work, Wise and Benevolent Women, dates to a 13th-century Song dynasty copy; this five-meter scroll depicts narratives from the Biographies of Exemplary Women across ten distinct sections.
Fast facts
- Born: 0345, Wuxi
- Died: 0406, Nanjing
- Citizenship: Eastern Jin dynasty
- Primary occupations: Painter, poet
- Notable work: Admonitions Scroll
- Painting theory works: Three books
- Brush-mode description: Spring silkworms spitting silk
Questions readers ask
What was Gu Kaizhi's view on figure painting?
He believed that the eyes were the spirit of the work and the decisive factor, while clothing and outward appearances were of secondary importance.
Where is the Admonitions Scroll currently located?
The primary copy is held by the British Museum, while a complete Song dynasty version is in the Palace Museum in Beijing.
Achievements
- Notable work: Admonitions Scroll
