Li Ssu-Hsün

Li Sixun

 or Li Ssu-hsün

(born 651—died 716) Chinese painter. Li, who was related to the Tang imperial family, led an active political life and was given the honorary rank of general. His son, Li Zhaodao, was also a famous painter, and thus the father is sometimes called Big General Li and the son Little General Li. While no genuine works survive, both Li Sixun and Li Zhaodao are known to have painted in a highly decorative and meticulous fashion, employing the precise line technique derived from earlier artists such as Gu Kaizhi and Zhan Ziqian. Li is considered the chief exponent of a decoratively coloured landscape style of the Tang dynasty and the founder of the so-called Northern school of professional painters.

---

Li Ssu-Hsün 

Born in 651; died in 716. Chinese painter. Originator (together with his son Li Chao-tao) of the “graphic” landscape of the T’ang period (seventh to tenth centuries).

Li Ssu-hsü n’s majestic mountain landscapes, which include architectural and genre motifs, are characterized by a particular crispness of line, complex multilevel composition, and the extensive use of decorative devices (bright spots of color and gold contours). His works include The Chiuch ‘engkung Palace (Kukung Museum, Peking) and At Sunset (Tungpei Museum, Shenyang).

REFERENCE

Sirén, O. Chinese Painting: Leading Masters and Principles, vol. 1. London-New York, 1956.