Gong Xian

Gong Xian was born in 1619 in China and died in 1689. Some of his main influences include Yuan Ji, Zhu Da, and Kun-Can. Gong Xian is considered on of the greatest artists of the Individualist movement of the Qing period. His style is limited but extremely powerful and dramatic. His paintings have been described as gloomy and full of foreboding, consisting of ghosts and wraiths. Gong Xian’s medium of choice was the hanging scroll painted with the deepest and richest shades of black. Gong Xian usually painted empty landscapes without any figures of animals or humans. Gong Xian also experimented heavily with light and shade suggesting that his artwork was influenced by Western styles, which were beginning to enter China gradually.

Common misspellings: Gong Sian, Gon Xin, Gong Xin, Gon Sian