Zhang Sengyou () was a

Liang dynasty The Liang dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Liang () or Xiao Liang () in historiography, was an imperial dynasty of China and the third of the four Southern dynasties during the Northern and Southern dynasties period. It was pre ...

painter in the ink style in the reign of

Emperor Wu of Liang Emperor Wu of Liang () (464 – 12 June 549), personal name Xiao Yan (蕭衍), courtesy name Shuda (叔達), childhood name Lian'er (練兒), was the founding Emperor of China, emperor of the Chinese Liang dynasty, during the Northern and Souther ...

. His birth and death years are unknown, but he was active . He was from the Wu Commandery (around present-day

Suzhou Suzhou is a major prefecture-level city in southern Jiangsu province, China. As part of the Yangtze Delta megalopolis, it is a major economic center and focal point of trade and commerce. Founded in 514 BC, Suzhou rapidly grew in size by the ...

Jiangsu Jiangsu is a coastal Provinces of the People's Republic of China, province in East China. It is one of the leading provinces in finance, education, technology, and tourism, with its capital in Nanjing. Jiangsu is the List of Chinese administra ...

Background and reputation

Zhang was a member of the Zhang clan of Wu, one of the four prominent clans in Wu Commandery. According to

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...

art critic Zhang Yanyuan's " Notes of Past Famous Paintings", Zhang served as an official during the reign of

. He was the director of the imperial library and was also in charge of any painting related affairs in the court of Emperor Wu. Later, Zhang served the country as the general of right flank army and the governor of Wuxing Commandery. His works were rated the finest quality by Zhang Yanyuan. He also listed Zhang's artistic style as one of the four "Standards" of the traditional Chinese paintings; the other three artists were Gu Kaizhi, Lu Tanwei and Wu Daozi. Yao Zui, a

Chen dynasty The Chen dynasty (), alternatively known as the Southern Chen (南陳 / 南朝陳) in historiography, was a Dynasties in Chinese history, Chinese imperial dynasty and the fourth and last of the Northern and Southern dynasties#Southern dynasties, ...

art critic, described Zhang as a diligent painter who paints "without the notion of day and night". Zhang was especially skillful in depicting human or animal figures. According to the History of the Southern Dynasties, Zhang painted a portrait for Prince Wuling, one of the sons of Emperor Wu. After viewing his son's portrait, the Emperor was amazed by the resemblance of Zhang's painting to his son.

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, with all its iconography, came to China from India. Zhang Sengyou, working in the early sixth century, painted large murals of Buddhist shrines in

Nanjing Nanjing or Nanking is the capital of Jiangsu, a province in East China. The city, which is located in the southwestern corner of the province, has 11 districts, an administrative area of , and a population of 9,423,400. Situated in the Yang ...

. He was one of the first to use these influences with happy results. He was also well known for landscapes, especially snow scenery, with a reputation for the so-called "boneless" technique ('' mogu''). Zhang is also associated with a famous story. It is said that one day, having painted four dragons on the walls of Anle temple in what is now Nanjing, he did not draw the eyes. He believed they were so realistic that if he dotted the eyes, they would come alive and fly away. People thought this was absurd, and Zhang painted in the eyes of two dragons, causing the dragons to immediately flee to heaven riding on clouds with crashing thunder. This story is summarized in the chengyu “to draw a dragon and dot in the eyes” (), and is used in Chinese to describe a work that is one step from perfection, or to put on the finishing touches.

References

{{reflist Liang dynasty painters Painters from Suzhou Liang dynasty government officials Politicians from Suzhou Buddhist artists