Gu Kaizhi - A True Artist - Research Paper Example

Section/# Gu Kaizhi: A True Artist Our modern interpretation of what the word artist entails is somewhat limited. Naturally, we are aware of individuals like Leonardo da Vinci and others that had a storied career in the arts, science, and a diverse array of other interests; however, these types of individuals are not the norm; rather, they are oftentimes the exception. However, the case of Chinese artist Gu Kaizhi could conceivably be compared to one of the most talented and multi-faceted artists that lived in early China (Blanchard 190). In this way and for such a purpose, this brief essay will seek to analyze the life and artwork of Gu Kaizhi so as to present to the reader a more complete biographical and technical understanding of the man and his artwork as well as to impress upon the reader the total contributions and levels of expertise that this artist exhibited. Born in 344 AD, Gu Kaizhi’s brief 62 years of life saw the development and growth of one of the most talented and prolific Chinese artists that had lived up until that point in time. Gu was born into a rather noble family and was subsequently schooled in a variety of art forms to include military training, literature, poetry, calligraphy, and music. Such a privileged life helped him to experience an exceptionally well rounded education that many other artists did not have the pleasure of. Although skilled in many artforms and able to express himself within the art of poetry at a very young age, Gu turned to the medium of artwork in the form of paintings by the age of 20 (364 AD). It was at this point that Gu began a long and storied career that would see him be named the father of Chinese artwork. Though such a title is of course a bit of stretch as talented artists existed long before him, the fact of the matter is that he had a profound and lasting effect on the way that artwork was defined and practiced within China. Additionally, his incorporation of traditional Chinese virtues, stories, characters, and motifs helped to endear him to subsequent generations of artists that began to see his work not only as indicative of high art but exemplification of traditional Chinese art as a function of culture. Due to the historical record at that time, it is nearly impossible to verify some of the stories that exist regarding Gu as he began to embark upon his career as an artist. However, regardless of the voracity of some of these anecdotes, they have nonetheless continued to exist and provide the reader with useful insights into both the merits of Gu’s artwork as well as the extent to which the culture of the time and subsequent generations have continued to revere and idealize the work that he completed. One such anecdotes recalls a period in time in which a temple was being built in the countryside near where Gu resided at the time. The artist himself, subsequently unrecognized by the general public or even key figures in the arts within government circles, offered of his time to paint an image of the Buddha on the wall of the temple and then charge passers by a small fee to view the artwork (Chen 11). In this way Gu believed that he could give of his own time to remedy the budget shortfalls of the temple project. As the story goes, before Gu had even finished the painting, crowds of curious onlookers thronged to the temple to catch a glimpse of the way in which Gu put the finishing touches on his masterpiece. What is of interest within such an anecdote is not specifically whether or not each and ever facet of it is true; rather, it is interesting to note that according to the anecdote, it was the eyes of the painting that provided such an astounding finishing touch. This facet in and of itself may seem somewhat unimportant; however, the fact of the matter is that Gu placed an extreme importance and emphasis on the eyes of the characters in the works he painted. Regarding this topic, Gu noted, "In figure paintings the clothes and the appearances were not very important. The eyes were the spirit and the decisive factor” (Fong 258). Although this fact may seem rather unimportant to the average observer, it is of primary interest due to the fact that the clothing, the pose, and the appearance of Gu’s subjects were not minimalistic whatsoever. In this way, the reader/observer can readily understand that even though Gu placed a high degree of emphasis on the eyes and the emotions they exhibited within his paintings, he did not do so at the expense of other artistic merits. Finally, Gu’s artwork is remembered most not for images inscribed or painting on the walls of temples; rather, his artwork is remembered best for a litany of silk scrolls, many of which exist even to this day. These silk scrolls (some measuring up to 5 meters in length) depict the artwork of Gu as he is still remembered to the current time. Due to the fact that many of these works have continued to survive long after imperial wars and dynastic changes have meant the destruction of artwork which was painted by Gu within the imperial court, temples and elsewhere, China culture has been able to establish Gu as one of their premier artists and a founding father of Chinese art (Zan 43). It should be noted that regardless of the overall impact and artistic merit that Gu’s artwork exhibited, one of the main reasons why he is continued to be remembered as such a great artist within Chinese culture is likely due to not only his facility with artwork in general but his ability to draw upon his education and understanding of Chinese myth and culture to depict elements that would fundamentally be embraced by both his own generation and subsequent generations thereafter. Works Cited Blanchard, Lara C. W. "A Scholar In The Company Of Female Entertainers: Changing Notions Of Integrity In Song To Ming Dynasty Painting." NAN NU -- Men, Women & Gender In Early & Imperial China 9.2 (2007): 189-246. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. Chen, Lucia S. "First Masterpiece Of Chinese Painting: The Admonitions Scroll (Book)." Library Journal 129.4 (2004): 75. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. Fong, Wen C. "Why Chinese Painting Is History." Art Bulletin 85.2 (2003): 258. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. ZAN, JIFANG. "A Cultural Feast." Beijing Review 51.32 (2008): 42-43. Academic Search Complete. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. Read More