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DiaporamaFamous Women
1799
25.0 x 17.0 cm
In 1799, the scholar Cao Zhenxiu wrote a cycle of sixteen poems about famous women of history and legend. Not content with the usual heroines—chaste widows and filial daughters—Cao selected women of more diverse talents, foregrounding poets, calligraphers, and warriors and arguing for an expanded notion of female virtue. She then commissioned the young virtuoso painter Gai Qi to illustrate her poems. Although some of the scenes take place indoors, several of them feature garden settings, including the ones you see here. Light in ink tone, Gai’s images display a seemingly endless variety of brushwork, from dry, rounded strokes to evoke the rough texture of rocks to pinpoint black lines to describe sharp grasses.
Gai Qi (? – ?)
Gai Qi is a contemporary Chinese artist known for his masterful hyperrealistic oil paintings that often depict striking portraits and scenes with incredible detail and emotional depth; explore the captivating realism of Gai Qi's work and discover a new perspective on modern portraiture.
About this artwork
- Title: Famous Women
- Artist: Gai Qi
- Year: 1799
- Original dimensions: 25.0 x 17.0 cm
- Format: Panoramic
- Copyright status: Under copyright
- Color palette: Neutrals
- Main color: Putty
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