Chen Peiqiu
Chen Peiqiu was a Chinese calligrapher and guohua painter, often acclaimed as the foremost Chinese woman painter. She and her husband Xie Zhiliu were one of the most famous couples in Chinese visual arts. The government of Shanghai opened a museum in Nanhui New City dedicated to them.
Biography
Chen Peiqiu was born in 1922 in Nanyang, Henan Province. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, she took refuge with her family in Kunming, Yunnan Province. In childhood she was influenced by her mother, who was an artist, but Chen was more interested in engineering, as she thought it would be more beneficial to the society. Although she was accepted by the engineering department of National Southwestern Associated University, her family opposed her choice and forced her to transfer to the economics department. She ended up not attending the university.During World War II, Kunming was a major hub for refugees from all over China. Chen attended an art exhibition of Huang Junbi, a prominent painter of the Lingnan School. With Huang's encouragement, she applied to the National Academy of Art and was accepted. She was influenced by Professor Li Keran and other artists who taught at the academy. She studied Chinese painting and graduated in 1950.
Chen specialized in traditional Chinese painting, especially landscape, flowers, and birds, although she was also interested in impressionism and postimpressionism. She exhibited in the first Shanghai Biennale in 2000.
Chen was married to the famous painter Xie Zhiliu, with whom she often collaborated. They are one of the best known couples in Chinese art.