Xu Gu’s “Cat and Butterfly” and the xieyi style

Speaker: Dr. Cortney Chaffin Kim

Shanghai School painting

This video explores a 19th-century Chinese ink painting titled Cat and Butterfly by Xu Gu.

Qing dynasty artist Xu Gu, who was known for his bird-and-flower genre painting, was a Shanghai School artist who broke away from the traditions of Chinese ink painting.

Xu Gu

Cat and Butterfly, 19th century, Qing dynasty, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, China, 86 1/4 × 31 3/4 in. (219.1 × 80.6 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Video chapters

0:00 Xu Gu’s “Cat and Butterfly” and the xieyi style

1:13 Shanghai School

1:44 Bird-and-Flower genre painting


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