Background
Guo Xi was born in 1020 and raised in the Henan province.
郭熙
Guo Xi was born in 1020 and raised in the Henan province.
Guo was a student of Song Di.
Guo served as a court painter under Emperor Shenzong, reigned during 1068 – 1085. Early in his career as an artist, Guo Xi painted large screens and walls for major palaces and halls in the capital that had caught the attention of the emperor. Guo was later promoted to the highest position of Painter-in-Attendance in the court Hanlin Academy of Painting. He also produced a lot of monumental landscape paintings and specialized in painting large pine trees and scenery enveloped in mist and clouds.
Guo employed “curled cloud” texture strokes for mountain slopes, while he did trees in “crab claw” forms to create a style of his own. Being a court professional, he developed an incredibly detailed system of idiomatic brushstrokes which became important for later painters. His most famous work was "Early Spring", dated 1072. The work demonstrated his innovative techniques for producing multiple perspectives which he called “the angle of totality.” The artist died in 1090 in Kaifeng, China.
Quotes from others about the person
On days when he was going to paint, he would seat himself at a clean table, by a bright window, burning incense to right and left. He would choose the finest brushes, the most exquisite ink; wash his hands, and clean the ink-stone, as though he were expecting a visitor of rank. He waited until his mind was calm and undisturbed, and then began.
The artist had a son Guo Si.
