Gao Qipei

CHINA, Liaoning, Liaoyang; Qing dynasty

Gao Qipei, also known as Wei Zhi or Qie Yuan, was a well-known painter from Liaoyang,Fengtian, (present day Liaoyang, Liaoning). Originally working a position as an official, he resigned in favor of focusing on his art. He was skilled in a variety of painting themes, including landscape, animals, and nature. Particularly renowned for his paintings of Zhong Kui, his depictionswere simple yet powerful, with folds that are reminiscent of seal script characters.
Early works by Gao were mostly considered humorous in nature. Interestingly, he was famous for his finger paintings. One of these paintings depicts a scene in which Huang Chuping, a Daoist deity, turns a pile of rocks into a flock of sheep. His grandson, Gao Bing, later compiled his finger paintings into Book of Finger Paintings, which is currently kept at the Shanghai Museum. His later works were focused on expressing the grace of the scene and characters being portrayed.
Gao’s works are retained at various museums throughout China and Taiwan. His most famous works, including a depiction of Zhong Kui with an angry expression, and another depiction of Zhong Kui standing on clouds, are kept at the Liaoning Provincial Museum in Shenyang. Other works include Autumn Willow, kept in Shanghai Museum, and Avalokitesvara Crossing the Sea, collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing.