Shang Qi

CHINA, Shandong, Heze; Yuan dynasty

Shang Qi, who was also known as Defu and Shouyan, was a painter from Jiyin (present day Heze). He served as an official in 1324 and was recognized by the emperor for his exceptional painting skills. During the rule of Emperor Chengzong (reigned 1294–1307), he painted murals in the newly established government palace and Jiaxi Hall.
Shang was skilled in creating ink wash landscape paintings, which he modeled after Li Cheng and Guo Xi. He utilized graceful brushstrokes and developed an elegant style that greatly influenced later painters. Together with Gao Kegong and Zhao Mengfu, he was regarded as one of the Three Distinguished Artists of the early Yuan dynasty (1271–1368).
Shang’s extant works, Birds Bathing Under Blooming Apricot and Seated in a Creekside Pavilion, are kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. Another painting, Spring Mountains, is retained at the Palace Museum in Beijing.