Gao Xingjian is a celebrated Chinese-French painter, writer, and cultural figure. Best known for his poetry and prose, Gao has also maintained a dedicated painting practice. His art is consistently monochromatic and solemn, often featuring snowy landscapes dotted with dark silhouettes rendered through layers of subtle ink washes. Referencing the literati painting practiced by the scholarly Chinese class since the fifth century, Xingjian's work is placed within the philosophical and cultural theory of Absurdism for its wry examination of human existence. “The human need for language is not simply for the transmission of meaning,” he once said, “it is at the same time listening to and affirming a person's existence.” Born on January 4, 1940 in Ganzhou, China, he grew up studying the arts in a privileged social class during the Second Sino-Japanese War, later moving to Beijing to attend the Beijing Foreign Studies University in 1957. His artwork has been met with international acclaim, and he has exhibited paintings at galleries like Hazan in Paris and at Perennial in New York, both in 2012. A major influence in the contemporary cultural landscape, who is perhaps more appreciated outside of his native China, Gao was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 2000.