Wei Xie

CHINA; Western Jin dynasty

A disciple of Cao Buxing, Wei Xie was a painter well-known for his delicate line drawings. According to the Classification of Ancient Painters, “Ancient paintings were not delicate until the work of Wei Xie. His paintings surpassed those of other artists, and were highly regarded for a long period of time.”
Gu Kaizhi of the Eastern Jin dynasty (317–420) was greatly influenced by Wei and commented that his paintings are “delicate in sentiment and concept.” His paintings also had a profound impact on the styles of the Six Dynasties (220–589). Acclaimed to be a Sage of Painting, he taught several students, among them Zhang Mo, Gu Kaizhi, and Shi Daoshuo.
Wei was skilled in painting Buddhist and Daoist figures. His Seven Buddhas of the Surangama Sutra, which was documented in Records of Painting and Famous Paintings in History.