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Chapter 342: Painting Saint Wu Daozi

The reason why the Tang Dynasty was called a prosperous era was not only because of its strong national strength, but also because of its cultural prosperity.

When talking about Tang Dynasty culture, the first thing that comes to mind is Tang poetry.

In fact, the prosperous Tang culture includes not only Tang poetry, but also fine arts.

When talking about the art of the Tang Dynasty, one person must be mentioned, and that is Wu Daozi.

The greatest painter of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Sheng was honored in painting history and was revered as the Saint of Painting.

In addition, Wu Daozi also created a traditional folk painting school that dominated the folk painting world for more than a thousand years. To this day, folk painters still respect him as their ancestor.

"Wu Daozi, also known as Daoxuan, is a famous painter."

"Wu Daozi was born in the Tang Dynasty. He was from Yuzhou, Henan Province. His hometown is Wu Village at the bottom of the mountain."

"He was honored as Wu Sheng in the history of painting, but because of his wild personality, people also called him Wu Fengzi."

"He lost his parents when he was young and his family was poor. In order to survive, he became an apprentice to a painter."

"Wu Village is close to Luoyang, and craftsmen from the village often go to the city to make a living."

"Because he was among the working people for a long time and was lonely in his youth, he developed an unruly character."

"He studied calligraphy from Zhang Xu and He Zhizhang, two famous figures of the time, but failed to learn it, so he went on to study painting."

"Wu Daozi loved calligraphy and painting since he was young. When he was young, he learned from folk artists and developed a variety of painting styles."

"He is good at Buddhism, Taoism, gods and ghosts, figures, landscapes, birds and animals, flowers, etc. He is particularly good at portraits and figure painting."

"According to records, he was able to paint the faces and expressions of people of different genders and ages quite accurately and vividly."

"It is said that there was a cake seller in Luoyang market who was extorted for money by a few evil boys. The man ran to a deep alley to hide."

"The young man couldn't find anyone, so he started to curse non-stop."

"Wu Daozi was furious when he saw this, so he painted the cakes of the cake seller on the street into a ghost with three heads and six arms, which scared the evil boys so much that they ran away with their heads in their hands."

"When Wu Daozi was less than 20 years old, his painting career had just begun and he was quite famous."

"At that time, there was an official named Wei Sili, who was famous in the two capitals. He was later conferred the title of Duke Xiaoyao by Emperor Zhongzong of Tang."

"When Wei Sili was admitted as a Jinshi, he advocated the establishment of schools and promoted the Six Classics, Six Lines, and Six Arts. He also liked to make friends with poets and painters. Wu Daozi became his disciple when he was only 20 years old."

"When Wu Daozi was a minor official under Wei Sili, he painted the landscapes of the Shu Road and created the genre of freehand landscape painting in ink and wash."

"Wu Daozi had once been to Sichuan with Wei Sili, and must have been deeply impressed by the beautiful landscapes of Sichuan."

"He later pioneered Chinese freehand landscape painting in ink, which was unique compared to the ornate landscape paintings of the time."

"The change of landscape painting often mentioned in the history of painting began when Wu Daozi accompanied Wei Sili on his trip to Sichuan."

Su Shi: Du Fu is the best in poetry, Han Yu is the best in composition, Yan Zhenqing is the best in calligraphy, and Wu Daozi is the best in painting.

There have been many famous painters throughout history, but only Wu Daozi is called the Saint of Painting.

Throughout history, all those who can be honored as saints have achieved outstanding achievements in some field.

Wang Xizhi, revered as the "Saint of Calligraphy", incorporated the doctrine of the mean into calligraphy and brought the art of calligraphy to its peak.

Du Fu, who is revered as the Poet Sage, is a master of poetry that embodies his thoughts of worrying about the country and the people, and has had a profound influence on the creation of poetry in later generations.

There are many reasons why Wu Daozi is revered as the Saint of Painting.

First, he was gifted and had grasped the essence of painting at a young age.

When Wu Daozi was young, he always wanted to learn painting from a master. Legend has it that when he was making a living outside, he passed by a temple and had the honor of meeting an old monk and became his disciple.

The old monk often took Wu Daozi to travel around mountains and rivers, and then taught him how to paint on the spot.

After studying painting with the old monk for three years, Wu Daozi's painting skills improved rapidly.

One day, the old monk wanted to paint a picture of a surging river or sea, but he could not capture the majestic beauty of the waves.

In the following months, Wu Daozi stayed at home, carefully conceiving and finally created the painting of Galloping Rivers and Seas.

When the old monk saw the waves coming towards him, he laughed loudly towards the sky and praised repeatedly.

At that time, Wu Daozi was only a teenager of fifteen or sixteen years old, which shows how talented he was in painting.

Second, Wu Daozi's painting skills were so great that he was applauded by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

During the Tianbao period, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang recalled the beautiful scenery of the Jialing River in Shu, so he ordered Wu Daozi to paint in the Jialing River area and then bring it back.

After arriving in Shu, Wu Daozi roamed along the river, admiring the beautiful scenery of the mountains and rivers along the Jialing River one by one, and memorizing the location and characteristics of the scenery in his mind.

After Wu Daozi returned to Chang'an, he painted on the wall of the palace on the spot.

In less than a day, a beautiful landscape of the Jialing River appeared before Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's eyes, and he was amazed and applauded.

If he didn't have real skills, how could Wu Daozi dare to paint in front of the emperor and his ministers.

If one's painting skills have not reached a certain level, how can one have a painting in mind and reproduce the original appearance of the scenery in a short time?

Wu Daozi painted on the spot, stunning everyone, which shows that Wu Daozi's painting skills are really amazing.

Third, Wu Daozi's painting method has a far-reaching influence on later generations.

Wu Daozi was an all-round painter who was proficient in painting mountains, rivers, plants, birds, beasts, insects, fish, figures, ghosts and gods, pavilions and towers.

He was best at painting Buddhist murals, and left more than 300 murals in temples in Luoyang and Chang'an.

Painters of all ages have their own strengths, but there are only a few who are proficient in everything.

The valuable thing about Wu Daozi is that he was able to innovate and make considerable contributions to the world of painting.

Wu Daozi is a rare all-round painter in history who was loved by everyone from the emperor to the common people.

Painters who have the same wide range of interests as him are not as skilled as him, those who have the same superb painting skills as him are not as innovative as him, and those who are as innovative as him are not as successful as him in terms of the number of his students.

Hundreds of years have passed, and most of Wu Daozi's paintings have been lost.

But it does not affect his status in the painting world, and he deserves the title of the Saint of Painting.

"Later, Wu Daozi also served as the county lieutenant of Yanzhou, a minor official in charge of prison management and catching thieves, a junior official position in the Tang Dynasty."

"The official title was below the ninth rank, which did not suit his wishes, so he resigned soon after."

"At that time, religious murals were popular, especially in Luoyang, the eastern capital, where there were many temples and monasteries, and a large number of painters were needed to create murals, so Wu Daozi went to Luoyang."

"He showed amazing talent in painting murals in temples and monasteries, which made him famous."

"Wu Daozi was diligent in his creative work throughout his life, according to himself."

"When I was worshipping the Prime Minister, I painted dozens of murals every day. When I was painting murals for temples, I never stopped."

"He was ordered to paint images of ghosts and gods on the walls of Baoying Temple. He finished the painting overnight. People praised him for his innate knowledge."

"During the Tianbao period, Wu Daozi became famous for his extensive Buddhist and Taoist murals in Chang'an and Luoyang."

"He painted hundreds of murals in temples in Luoyang and Chang'an. The most famous of these are the large grottoes excavated in Longmen Mountain in Luoyang, where he sculpted statues and painted murals, such as the picture of Sakyamuni preaching."

"Wu Daozi's paintings cover a wide range of subjects and he is capable of doing anything."

"He inherited and developed the traditions of his predecessors in painting and created something new. He pioneered the method of using double hooks to apply color to the gallery, which was called Wu Dai Dang Feng."

"The colors are bright and varied, very harmonious and pleasing to the eye, thus changing the old custom of emphasizing blue over white."

“Therefore, it is unique and has transformed ancient pictographic paintings into beautiful effects.”

"The maids in red with powdered white faces and green eye sockets that he painted made him a painter of beauties."

"Legend has it that thousands of young girls were ordered to play the roles of barbarians, with different hair and beard colors."

"Because of his outstanding painting talent and broad social influence, he was revered as the Saint of Painting by later generations."

Wang Anshi: All-round painters are rare in history, but Wu Daozi was not satisfied with this and pioneered the Wu Dai Dang Feng painting style.

Wu Daozi wrote very quickly, and the lines he drew were particularly flexible and round.

The resulting shape of the clothes also shows a particularly fluttering aspect, giving a light and floating feeling as if being blown by the wind.

The so-called Wu Dai Dang Feng is specifically used to describe this characteristic of his.

Wu Daozi's artistic achievements are manifested in many aspects, among which the most talked-about are his unique religious paintings and figure paintings.

Wu Daozi came from a grassroots background, and his religious paintings also have a strong secular tendency.

Wu Daozi's religious paintings are good at portraying character traits; the images are realistic and vivid, with strong appeal, and had a great influence at the time.

According to legend, Wu Daozi learned that robbers in a certain place had been committing crimes at night, so he painted a tiger on the wall of the path that the robbers had to pass.

That night, the robbers passed by this place and saw the ferocious tiger on the wall. They mistook it for a real tiger and ran away in fear.

Although this is just a legend, it is enough to show how vivid and lifelike Wu Daozi's paintings are.

It is said that Emperor Xuanzong of Tang once dreamed of a big ghost, which was Zhong Kui, who was dedicated to eliminating evil spirits in the world.

After Emperor Xuanzong of Tang woke up from his dream, he called Wu Daozi, described to him the appearance of the giant ghost in his dream, and ordered Wu Daozi to paint the giant ghost.

Wu Daozi completed it immediately, and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was amazed that it was exactly the same as the image in his dream.

If a painter witnesses the actual scene, it is very difficult for him to reproduce the original appearance.

Wu Daozi could create a painting based solely on description, and it would be exactly the same as the original. This painting skill can be said to have reached the pinnacle.

"After Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji, ascended the throne, he summoned Wu Daozi to the palace, and the folk painter Wu Daozi became the court painter Wu Daozi."

"Wu Daozi's original name was Daoxuan. After entering the palace, he changed his name to Daozi to avoid the name of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang." "When Wu Daozi first entered the palace, he was a worshiper. Later, he was awarded the title of doctor, which ended his wandering life."

"Later, he was promoted to Ning Wangyou, which was equivalent to the position of a fifth-rank official."

"During this period, Wu Daozi's reputation as a painter was at its peak and his fame spread all over the world."

"After Wu Daozi entered the palace, he mainly painted in the palace, serving the royal family and nobles. He was not allowed to paint without an imperial decree."

"But that's not entirely true. He painted more than 300 murals in temples and monasteries in the two capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang alone."

"During the Kaiyuan period, he painted murals for General Pei Min at the Tiangong Temple in Luoyang, the eastern capital."

"As long as there is wine and money, he will try his best to agree."

“I even painted at night holding a candle in one hand and painting with the other.”

"But most of the time, he still has to obey and follow the emperor."

"In the 11th year of the Kaiyuan reign, Wu Daozi was ordered to paint the image of Zhong Kui."

"In the 13th year of Kaiyuan, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang sealed Mount Tai in Shandong."

"Wu Daozi and two other court painters followed him and returned via the Golden Bridge in Changzhi, Shanxi."

"Tang Xuanzong was riding on a famous horse and saw his entourage marching for tens of thousands of miles. He was very excited and ordered the three of them to work together on a painting called 'Golden Bridge'."

"Among them, Wu Daozi painted bridges, mountains and rivers, carriages, figures, plants, birds of prey, weapons, tents, etc."

"During the Tianbao period, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang wanted to see the beautiful scenery of the Jialing River in Sichuan, so he ordered Wu Daozi to sketch it."

"Wu Daozi went to visit Shu again. When he came back, Emperor Xuanzong asked him where the painting was. He said he had memorized it."

"So in the Datong Hall, Wu Daozi, based on his impressions from the tour, finished the 300-mile landscape of the Jialing River in just one day."

"Legend has it that when he was painting the Jialing River, one day there was a sudden change of wind and rain, thunder and lightning, and it seemed as if the mountains and rivers jumped onto the paper."

"He was a master painter. He only needed half a day to paint a silk painting. He was known as Wu Dai Dang Feng."

"Wu Daozi's painting skills are very strong, the content is novel and unique, and the composition is complete and ingenious."

Li Shizhen: Wu Daozi is a versatile painter who was proficient in landscapes, flowers and birds, bridges, houses, etc. He easily conquered the emperor of the time, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty came back from Mount Tai in the east, he passed by Jinqiao. The troops on both sides of the road were solemn, and the scene stretching for thousands of miles was very spectacular.

The "Golden Bridge" completed by Wu Daozi and two other court painters was praised by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Of course, what really conquered Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was the picture of the Jialing River painted by Wu Daozi on the spot.

During the Tianbao period, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang suddenly remembered the beautiful scenery of the Jialing River in Sichuan, so he ordered Wu Daozi to rush to the Jialing River to paint.

When he arrived at the Jialing River, Wu Daozi cruised on the river and looked into the distance.

There are beautiful mountains and rivers here, and each scene passes by.

The experience and feelings at that time were deeply engraved in my mind, and I didn't draw a single sketch.

When Wu Daozi returned to Chang'an after touring the mountains and rivers of the Jialing River, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang asked about his painting.

Wu Daozi directly stated that he would keep it in mind, so Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered him to paint on the wall of the hall.

Wu Daozi did not simply list the surface of the Jialing River's mountains and rivers, but instead captured the fascinating scenery of every mountain and river of the Jialing River.

Wu Daozi completed the painting in one day with great concentration, and the 300-mile beautiful scenery of the Jialing River came to life on the paper. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was amazed when he saw it.

Before this, there was a great painter who was good at landscape painting and he also painted the Jialing River landscape on the wall of the temple.

Although the paintings were also very wonderful, they took several months to complete and were not as fast or as good as Wu Daozi's.

Even Emperor Xuanzong of Tang could not help but sigh that what great painters took months to accomplish, Wu Daozi accomplished in just one day.

It can be seen that Wu Daozi had superb painting skills and a sophisticated brushwork.

Wu Daozi was not only good at painting landscapes, but was also able to paint animals vividly.

Five dragons were once painted on the main hall, and they looked truly lifelike.

"November of the fourteenth year of Tianbao, during the An-Shi Rebellion."

"When Emperor Xuanzong of Tang fled to Sichuan, Wu Daozi did not follow him, and neither did other painters of the time."

"In the early years of the Qianyuan period, Wu Daozi's favorite student painted a mural in the Zhuangyan Temple, and he went to comment on it."

"Wu Daozi created a large number of excellent works of art and masterpieces throughout his life, but the life of this master artist is full of legends."

"During the Qianyuan reign of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Daozi, who was already over fifty years old and had extraordinary skills, left Luoyang during the war and went to Sichuan to become a court painter."

"One day, when he was strolling under the pillars of Ziyang Bridge by the Jialing River, a gust of wind suddenly blew up a piece of brocade robe, which was picked up by a fisherman and put on him."

"The fisherman was a 100-year-old man. He warned Wu Daozi that he would die of sores, and then he disappeared."

"Wu Daozi suddenly realized that this was the immortal telling him not to stay in the human world to paint for long."

"So he gave the gold, silver and jewelry he had with him to the fisherman, packed his luggage and returned to Chang'an."

"Wu Daozi called several of his disciples to come over. He had a skin disease from painting too much, and the disciples were panicked when they heard about it."

"At this time, Wu Daozi told everyone not to worry, saying that he had a magical medicine that could cure the disease, and then he took out brushes, ink and white honey."

"He painted a group of heavenly soldiers and generals on a piece of white silk, smeared them with white honey and hung them in the room. When the disciples saw this, they all asked for sick leave and went home."

"Soon after, Wu Daozi's disciples came to visit him, missing their teacher."

"He asked his disciples to capture a white deer and a black ape in the wild. The white deer and the black ape were both spiritual creatures that Wu Daozi loved to raise."

"The white deer can travel a thousand miles a day, and the black ape is good at climbing trees and understands human nature."

"Wu Daozi told the black ape to follow the white deer to various places to collect some herbs."

"A few days later, the black ape and the white deer came back and brought back a bag of herbs."

"Wu Daozi crushed the herbs and applied them on his body, and soon his skin disease was cured."

"The disciples came to visit one after another, and they cheered and jumped for joy when they saw this."

"From then on, Wu Daozi bid farewell to his disciples and traveled around the world, practicing medicine and saving lives."

"During the reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty, Wu Daozi painted a deer for the nobleman Wang Bo in Lijiagou, Ziyang, Sichuan."

"He died the next day in Lijiagou, north of Ziyang County, at the age of 76."

"Wu Daozi's life is full of legends, and his artistic achievements and noble character are admired by future generations."

"His life was not only that of an outstanding artist, but also that of a legendary figure with noble sentiments and outstanding medical skills."

Wang Yangming: Although Wu Daozi is regarded as the Saint of Painting and is worthy of the world's admiration, his moral character remains to be verified.

It is said that Wu Daozi once committed the evil act of murder out of jealousy.

But now history can no longer be verified and it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

In a book of unofficial history of the Tang Dynasty, there is a record of an indirect murder case by Wu Daozi.

Wu Daozi had a favorite student, Lu Lengjia, who was also a famous painter at the time. His calligraphy was regarded as the best together with that of Yan Zhenqing.

Lu Rongjia often imitated his teacher in painting, and Wu Daozi was not conservative either, and taught him step by step.

Lu Lengjia saw that Wu Daozi had painted a deity image on the gate of a temple in Chang'an, and it attracted a large crowd of visitors.

With both admiration and envy, after carefully studying the teacher's work, he painted a statue of the deity on the third gate of the Zhuangyan Temple.

After seeing it, Wu Daozi was very surprised and admired it greatly.

But he also said that this disciple's brushwork was not as good as his usually, but now his painting was exactly the same as his.

It seems that the disciple has exhausted all his energy and spirit in order to paint this picture. I am afraid he will not be able to hold on for much longer.

Sure enough, Lu Lengjia died of illness a month after he finished painting the statue.

According to unofficial historical records, Wu Daozi may have been a real murderer once, and the victim was Huangfu Zhen, a rising star in the painting world at the time.

It is said that there was a Bodhisattva Temple in Pingkangfang, Chang'an. A new hall was built in the temple, and the east and south walls were empty.

Prince Ning asked Wu Daozi to paint the east wall and Huangfu Zhen to paint the south wall, which was obviously to let the two of them compete with each other.

Wu Daozi was a veteran in the painting world and was very busy painting murals in other temples.

But Huangfu Zhen is a newcomer, very dedicated, and has started painting a long time ago.

It happened that Prince Ning came to inspect, and was very unhappy to see that Wu Daozi did not come. Before leaving, Wu Daozi gave him three days to complete the draft.

Wu Daozi hurried to the Bodhisattva Temple and when he passed by the south wall, he pretended to glance at Huangfu Zhen's painting nonchalantly.

It doesn't matter if you don't look at it, you will be shocked when you look at it.

The large sculpture painted by Huangfu Zhen is so vivid that it almost seems to fly off the wall.

Wu Daozi saw the key to this and also saw the strength of his opponent. He felt that Huangfu Zhen had extraordinary potential in painting and that once he had accumulated enough experience, his painting skills would definitely surpass his own.

Thinking of this, Wu Daozi became restless all day and could not sleep well.

Therefore, his strong desire to win and vanity prompted him to kill Huangfu Zhen, and he paid someone to kill him.

So, one day afterwards, Huangfu Zhen was assassinated by unknown persons at a banquet at night.

Of course, there is no way to know whether Wu Daozi actually hired someone to kill someone.

(End of this chapter)