Xia Gao
Master of elegant ink bamboo paintings
Xia Gao(夏杲) (1388–1470), styled Zhongzhao, also known as Zizai Jushi and Yufeng, was from Kunshan, Jiangsu. His original surname was Zhu, and his given name was Gao. He passed the imperial examination in the tenth year of the Yongle reign (1415) and eventually served as Junior Minister in the Ministry of Rites during the Zhengtong era. He held government positions for over forty years, and in the first year of Tianshun (1457), he resigned and returned home, spending the rest of his life enjoying calligraphy and painting. He was especially good at painting ink bamboo, learning from Wang Fu but adding his own variations. His works captured the mist, rain, and the lushness of bamboo, with elegant and lively strokes, balanced composition, and always praised as top-notch, gaining fame even internationally. He was nicknamed as “One Bamboo by Lord Xia is worth ten ingots of gold in Xiliang.” He was also skilled in regular script calligraphy. Some of his surviving works include 'Xiangjiang Wind and Rain Scroll,' 'Qishui Clear Wind Scroll,' 'Strange Rocks and Bamboo Scroll,' and 'Bamboo and Rocks Scroll.'