Gu Hongzhong (; 937–975) was a Chinese painter during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Gu was active until 960 CE''The Private Realm of the Literati.''
University of Washington: A Visual Sourcebook of Chinese Civilization. Retrieved 27 August 2012. and was most likely a

court painter A court painter was an artist who painted for the members of a royal or princely family, sometimes on a fixed salary and on an exclusive basis where the artist was not supposed to undertake other work. Painters were the most common, but the cour ...

of the Southern Tang dynasty during the reign of Li Yu. His most well-known work is the '' Night Revels of Han Xizai''. Gu's original no longer exists, but the painting survives as a 12th-century remake during the subsequent

Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Fiv ...

. The painting is housed in the

Palace Museum The Palace Museum (), also known as the Beijing Palace Museum, is a large national museum complex housed in the Forbidden City at the core of Beijing, China. With , the museum inherited the imperial royal palaces from the Ming and Qing dynast ...

in Beijing.

''Night Revels of Han Xizai''

The ''Night Revels of Han Xizai'' is a painted scroll depicting Han Xizai, a minister of Li Yu. This

narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...

painting is split into five distinct sections: Han Xizai listens to the

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rangi ...

, watches dancers, takes a rest, plays string instruments, and then sees guests off. Gu Hongzhong was supposedly sent to pry on Han Xizai's private life per emperor Li Yu's request. One theory is that Li Yu wanted to know why Han refused his offer to make him the

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

.''Han Xizai at Night Dinner Painting Depicts Extravagant Life.''
China Culture, Ministry of Culture, China. Retrieved 27 August 2012. Another is that Han Xizai repeatedly missed early-morning audiences with the emperor because of his revelry, fondness of drinking and banquets with friends, and needed to be shamed into dignified behavior. The work was not only a painting about personal life, but also represented many features from that period. Using careful observation, all of the details of the ''Night Revels'' were thoroughly exposed and peoples' expressions were vivid and true-to-life. In the picture, there are more than 40 figures—all lifelike and with different expressions. The painting represented the lifestyle of the ruling class of that time indirectly. The painter's surprising observation of Han Xizai makes the painting thought-provoking.

Art inspired by ''Night Revels of Han Xizai''

In 2000, artist Wang Qingsong created ''The Night Revels of Lao Li'' based on ''The Night Revels of Han Xizai''. Instead of a painting like the original, it is a photograph. The artwork uses contemporary costume and references to comment on current Chinese culture.''Night Revels of Lao Li.''
Wang Qingsong. Retrieved 27 August 2012.

''Night Revels of Han Xizai''

Art inspired by ''Night Revels of Han Xizai''

See also

References

Further reading