Artist: Xugu (1824-1896)

Date: Qing (1644-1911)

Dimensions: Height 129.9 cm, Width 61.6 cm

Material: Ink and colour on paper

• Object Type：
  • PAINTINGS
• Location：
  • The Painting and Calligraphy of Shanghai Gallery
• Tag：
  • amitābha hanging scroll xugu qing ink and colour paper

The monk Xugu (1824-1896), originally named Zhu Huairen, was native to She county (in present-day Huangshan, Anhui province), traveled between Yangzhou, Shanghai, and Suzhou as a professional painter who sold his paintings for a living. A master of bird-and-flower painting and key figure of the "Shanghai School", he was one of the "Four Masters of Shanghai" alongside Ren Yi, Wu Changshuo, and Zhao Zhiqian. This painting was created for his friend Gao Yong (1850-1921), a rare example of his Buddhist paintings. This painting features boldly rustic forms and luminous archaic colors. Gao later became head of the Yu Garden Painting and Calligraphy Society.

【Special Exhibition】 An Everlasting Spring: The Art of Painting and Calligraphy in Shanghai