Gao Jianfu

Gao Jianfu (, pronounced "Gou Gim Fu" in Cantonese; 1879–1951) was a Chinese artist active before and during World War II. He is known for leading the Lingnan School's effort to modernize Chinese traditional painting as a "new national art". Along with his brother Gao Qifeng and friend Chen Shuren, Gao Jianfu brought the nihonga style of painting to China.

Early life Gao Jianfu was born in 1879 in the city of Canton, located in the Guangdong Province.

Artwork Jianfu once wrote: "I think we should not only take in elements of Western painting. If there are good points in Indian painting, Egyptian painting, Persian painting, or masterpieces of other countries, we should embrace all of them too, as nourishment for Chinese painting."

Although Jianfu was greatly interested in Western art and joined societies that promoted this style, his artwork during his time in Japan shows little influence of Western art. His art mainly reflects the work of nihonga painters like Kano Hogai, Hashimoto Gaho, and Takeuchi Seiho. Often Jianfu would paint flowers, plants, and grasses. He also took inspiration from traditional Chinese artists Tang Yin and Lan Ying.

In the 1920s, Jianfu's paintings showcased elements of "realism derived from Western art", as well as traditional Chinese ink and brushwork. The subject matter of his work strayed away from the themes of traditional art (i.e. flowers, birds, landscapes, etc.) and focused more on contemporary reality.

In 1927 the connection between his art and political agenda was made clear with the unveiling of a new exhibit in Canton. The series of airplane paintings showcased a banner with Sun Yat-sen's slogan, "Aviation to Save the Country". This propaganda can especially be seen in Jianfu's paintings, "New Battlefield", "Air Defense", and "Flying in the Rain".

Throughout his time in Macao during World War II, Jianfu painted Skulls Crying over the Nation's Fate. It depicted a pile of skulls lying in a field of grass.

Later years Work with Gao Qifeng In 1912, after the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, Gao Jianfu and his brother moved to Shanghai. They began publishing a journal titled Zhen xiang huabao (The True Record). It featured articles on art and politics, as well as published essays promoting a new, modernized national art in China. Although it ran for only a year, the journal was one of the first to bring art to the public. The brothers advocated government support of the arts. The two also opened the nation's first public galleries for the exhibit and sale of art works, the Aesthetic Bookstore.

Jianfu and Qifeng stayed in Shanghai till 1918. By 1923, the brothers established the Spring Awakening Art Academy in Canton.

Later life In 1929, Jianfu was accused of anti-foreign sentiments during his time as the chief organizer of the government's first National Art Exhibition held in Nanking. Because The Lingnan School was featured prominently, there was hostile response for the inclusion of non-Chinese artistic tendencies.

In 1936, Jianfu began teaching at Sun Yat-Sen University. He continued to publish articles, where he defended his concept of new national art. He suggested that national painting abandon the "elitism" of traditional art, and engage more directly with the Chinese public.

In 1938, Gao Jianfu left Japanese-occupied Canton for the island of Macau. He returned to Canton in 1945. At the time Mao Zedong came to power in 1949, Jianfu once again fled to Macau.

He died in 1951.