Artists › Painters and Calligraphers
Xiao Zhao
Southern Song academy painter from Shanxi who followed Li Tang south and painted landscapes in his manner
A desk holds an unrolled sheet bearing three bold black ink strokes, with a rack of many brushes above it, a stone ink slab and ink stick, a porcelain bowl, a red lacquer box, a dish of red seal paste and a paperweight; a small seated figure shows through a round window onto bamboo.
Also known as Zi Dongsheng
Xiao Zhao, courtesy name Dongsheng, came from Huoze, today's Yangcheng in Shanxi. During the Jingkang crisis of 1126-1127 he joined the irregular bands in the Taihang Mountains, met the painter Li Tang there, became his pupil and went south with him to Lin'an. In the Shaoxing era he received the rank of digonglang and served as a painter-in-attendance at the academy. His landscapes follow Li Tang, between careful description and bold ink, and he also painted figures. The National Palace Museum in Taipei holds his hanging scroll Pavilions on the Mountainside, and Ming and Qing catalogues record a twelve-scene handscroll of Auspicious Omens of the Restoration under his name.
Life and times
Dates Dates unknown; active from the Jingkang to the Shaoxing era (1126-1162)