Gao Qifeng | |||||||||
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高奇峰 | |||||||||
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| Born | Gao Weng (高嵡) 13 June 1889 Panyu County, Guangdong, China | ||||||||
| Died | 2 November 1933 (aged 44) Shanghai, China | ||||||||
| Movement | Lingnan School | ||||||||
| Relatives | Gao Jianfu (brother) | ||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||
| Chinese | 高奇峰 | ||||||||
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Gao Qifeng (Chinese: 高奇峰; pinyin: Gāo Qí Fēng, 13 June 1889 – 2 November 1933) was a Chinese painter who co-founded the Lingnan School with his brother Gao Jianfu and fellow artist Chen Shuren.
Orphaned at a young age, Gao spent much of his early life following his brother, learning the techniques of Ju Lian before travelling to Tokyo to study Western and Japanese painting. While abroad, Gao joined the Tongmenghui, and after he returned to China he published The True Record to challenge the Qing Dynasty and, later, the Beiyang government. Although offered a position in the new Republic of China, Gao chose to focus on his art. He moved to Guangzhou in 1918, taking a series of teaching positions that culminated with an honourary professorship at Lingnan University in 1925. Falling ill in 1929, Gao left the city for Ersha Island, where he established the Tianfang Studio.
In his painting, Gao blended traditional Chinese approaches with foreign ones, using Japanese techniques for light and shadow as well as Western understandings of geometry and perspective. Although he painted landscapes and figures, he is best recognized for his paintings of animals, particularly eagles, lions, and tigers. In his brushwork, he combined the vigour of his brother's technique with the elegance of Chen's. Gao taught numerous students, including Chao Shao-an and Huang Shaoqiang; he was particularly close to Zhang Kunyi, with whom he may have been romantically involved.