Xia GUI - Life

Life

No information survives on Xia's birth and death dates, background, or education. He was most probably born in Hangzhou, then capital of China. During the reign of Emperor Ningzong Xia served in the Imperial Painting Academy (Yuhuayuan 廷畫院) in the same city, the way most major artists did at the time. His teachers are unknown, but the surviving works suggest strong influence of Li Tang, a prominent academy painter whose style was a prominent influence on virtually all 12th century Chinese landscape painters. Xia Gui and his contemporary, Ma Yuan, were among the most influential painters of their time; they had numerous followers who are now referred to as belonging to the Ma-Xia school.

Academy art of the Southern Song was not appreciated during later periods, i.e. during the Yuan Dynasty and afterwards; hence Xia's popularity declined. However, he a few critics felt that his paintings were among the better works of the Song Dynasty, and some Chinese artists were still producing works inspired by Xia's idiom. Sesshū Tōyō visited China in the 15th century and was influenced by Xia Gui, as seen in Sesshū's landscape scrolls such as the smaller Landscape of the Four Seasons in the Kyoto National Museum gallery. Sesshū's numerous followers, the so-called Unkoku-rin School, sometimes imitated the style their teacher adopted from Xia.

In early 17th century China a few painters still knew and imitated Xia's works, however, soon afterwards tastes became radically different. During the Ming Dynasty and later periods, Xia, like his contemporaries, was completely forgotten. It was not until the 20th century that his art was rediscovered.