Zhang Xiaoshi

CHINA; Tang dynasty

Zhang Xiaoshi was a painter whose daunting depictions of hell are said to effectively discourage people from committing wrongful deeds. According to Famous Paintings in History, Zhang’s ability to visualize hell was due to a near-death experience he once had. Wu Daozi, another renowned painter of the Tang dynasty (618–907) who attempted to copy his paintings, described Zhang’s paintings of hell as “commendable by great scholars.”
Zhang painted the murals, Illustrations of the Hells, on the exterior of the south, east, and central doors of Ci’en Temple Pagoda. He also painted the murals on the east wall of Sanjie Yuan Temple and at the back of the hall in Jingfa Temple.