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Liang
K'ai excelled at painting figures, landscapes, Buddhist and Taoist
subjects, as well as spirits and deities. He learned painting from Chia
Shih-ku (fl. mid-12th c.), but he outdid his teacher in being able to
convey the grace and bearing of figures. In 1210, he was promoted to the
rank of Painter-in-Attendance at court and bestowed with the honored
Golden Belt. For some reason, however, he refused and left the court
with the belt hanging on the academy wall. Taking to a life of drinking
and painting, he called himself "Madman Liang."
When
he was at court, his paintings were admired for their refined brushwork.
This album leaf, however, is said to be a masterpiece from his period of
drinking and spontaneous painting. The immortal shown here also appears
to be somewhat inebriated. As a being of elevated status, his
proportions also differ from those of ordinary mortals. The protruding
forehead and rounded belly are accented by a few shods of hair and
surrounded by unkempt robes that hang loosely down. No lines were used
for these parts of the painting as only a few short slanted strokes were
employed to define some of the details. Brushwork, however, defines the
belt.
The
painting was first sketchily rendered in light washes of ink, and then
darker ink was applied before the washes had dried in order to convey
the weight of the immortal's body. The remaining elements, such as the
humorous facial features, were dotted to give the final touch to the
immortal's mysterious qualities. Despite the brevity of the work,
nothing seems to be missing. This type of brushwork, in which the number
of brushstrokes is reduced, is often referred to as "abbreviated
brush" and used in Buddhist and Taoist figure painting to convey
the untrammeled and supernatural qualities of the supernatural beings.
It is said that when Liang K'ai sobered up, he looked upon this painting
with a sense of pride.
This
is the second leaf from the album "Ming-hua lin-lang."
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