Page 143 - China, 5000 years : innovation and transformation in the arts

Yang Huizhi's hometown is unknown. During

the middle of the Kaiyuan period of the Tang

Wudynasty (713—741), he and Daozi learned

brushwork together from Zhang Sengyou, and

they called each other "friends through art."

They were both highly skilled, yet only Daozi

had a great reputation. Huizhi then burned his

brushes and inkstones, and threw himself into

sculpting. He was able to capture the look of

Sengyou's paintings, and thus could rival Daozi.

It was said at the time, "Daozi's paintings and

Huizhi's sculptures capture the spirit of

Sengyou's brush." He was also praised for this. 32

The Lidai minghua ji noted in vol. 9 that the great

sculptors of the day all had a mastery of painting:

At the time, there was a Zhang Aier who was Fig. 16. Mural and carved figure qfSakyainuni. Sth c.
unsuccessful at learning [Wu Daozi's] painting, (High Tang period). Mogao Cave 325, Dunhuang, Gansu

and so turned to sculpting. Emperor Xuanzong Province.
personally wrote and changed his name to
Xianqiao. His paintings of insects were superb. thoughts for three years, whereupon he
Yang Huizhi of the same era was also adept at completed the sculpture. . . . Also, in middle age,
sculpting. Yuan Ming and Cheng Jin carved Dai Andao drew figures of great draftsmanship
works in stone. Han Botong of the Sui dynasty
was adept at sculpting. During the reign of the (vol. 5).»
Empress, the local officials Dou Hongguo and

Mao Poluo, Supervisor of the Eastern Garden
Sun Rengui, and the general Quan Zhongyi at

the Court of Emperor Dezong were all

exceptionally skilled. This generation also

[studied] painting. They were all excellent
draftsmen, but their tone was not very high.

Since the earliest times it had been natural for great Kui's son Yong was styled Zhongruo. His
sculptors to also excel at painting. According to the
Lidai minghua ji, quickness of mind was comparable to Kui's. . . .
He carried on his father's mastery of music,

There was a man named Dai Kui [d. 395] calligraphy, and painting. . . .The [Liu] Song
[during the Eastern Jin dynasty]. He was styled
crown prince was casting a 1.6 zhang golden
Andao, and was a native of Zhi in Qiao
image at the Waguan Temple. When it was
Prefecture. He was very gifted even as a child,
was intelligent and widely read. He played completed, he was annoyed that the face

seemed so thin, but the workmen could do

musical instruments well, and was a skillful nothing about it. He then invited Yong over

calligrapher and painter ... his paintings of and asked him about this. Yong said. "It is inn

scenery in the ancient style were wonderful. that the face is thin, but that the shoulders are

While in his teens, he was painting in the too big." He then pared down the shoulders,

Waguan Temple. General Secretary Wang and the face's proportions then became right.

|Meng] saw him and said, "This child is not just Everyone was impressed by the sharpness of his

good at painting. Sooner or later he will make a thinking (vol. 34
s).

Hegreat name for himself." . . . was also adept

at casting images of Buddha and .it sculpting. Jiang Shaoyou [of the 1 .iter Wei | was a native ol

He had made a wooden statue ofAmitabha Bochang in Le'an. He had .1 keen and nimble

Buddha 1.6 zhang tall, together with attendant mind, and was adept at calligraphy and painting.

bodhisattvas. Kui used the simple ancient style, He was skilled at painting people and at

and when the work was initially unable to sculpting (vol. S

move people's hearts, he sat silently behind a

curtain, listening secretly to everyone's The Indian monk l.inmozhuovi |ot the Sin

comments. He gave careful consideration to dynasty] was also skilled at painting. During the

both praise and criticism, and collected his reign of Emperor Wen of tin- Sui, he came from

ORIGINS AND TRENDS IN THE DEPICTION OF HUMAN FIGURES