Guo Zhongshu

Guo Zhongshu
Bornc. 929
Died977
Nationality
Known for
StyleJiehua
Chinese name
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuō Zhōngshù
Wade–GilesKuo1 Chung1-shu4
Guo Shuxian
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuō Shùxiān
Wade–GilesKuo1 Shu4-hsien1
Guo Guobao
Traditional Chinese
Simplified Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinGuō Guóbǎo
Wade–GilesKuo1 Kuo2-pao3

Guo Zhongshu (c. 929 – 977), courtesy name Shuxian (or Guobao, according to Xuanhe Huapu[1]), was a Chinese painter, scholar, calligrapher and philologist during the Five Dynasties period and Song dynasty. He was noted for his paintings of landscapes and structures.

Early in his career, Guo Zhongshu served under the Later Han governor Liu Yun until Liu was murdered by the usurper Guo Wei. He later served in the Later Zhou and Song imperial governments, but was banished multiple times for behavioral problems. Especially in his later life, he was known for his eccentricity. Su Shi's eulogy as well as later anecdotes celebrated his apparent free spirit, wit, courage, and egalitarian tendencies. Alexander Soper, however, saw symptoms of schizophrenia which he blamed for Guo's death.[2]

  1. ^ Shih, p. 69.
  2. ^ Soper, p. 24.