Portraiture(Portrait of Guanyin Bodhisattva)

Xie Zhiliu was born in Changzhou, Jiangsu province. His original name was Zhi, courtesy name Zhiliu, which was later changed into Xing, and literary name Zhuangmuweng. He learned painting under the tutelage of Qian Zhen during his early days, and in 1942, he went to Dunhuang with Zhang Daqian to study grotto arts. His writings include Introduction to Dunhuang Cave Arts (dunhuangyishuxulu) and Catalogue of Dunhuang Rock Caves (dunhuangshikuji). In 1943, Xie was a professor at the Department of Art of National Central University . He also served as the vice-chairman of Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture Heritage, a councilor at China Artists Association, and a member of National Committee of Cultural Heritage Identification. Xie was accomplished in calligraphy, painting, and identification of ancient calligraphy and painting works. He initially learned painting from Chen Hongshou and then from the styles in the Song and Yuan dynasties. During his later years, the artist heavily employed the technique of “dropping ink” (luomo) in his works.