Ma Gongxian

CHINA, Shanxi, Yuncheng; Southern Song dynasty

Born in Hezhong (present day Yongji, Yuncheng), Ma Gongxian was the eldest son of Ma Xingzu, and the uncle of Ma Yuan, both renowned painters. Later, he resided in Qiantang (present day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). During the Shaoxing period (1131–1162), Ma was a painter-in-attendance at the Imperial Painting Academy, a position also held by several other members within the five generations of the renowned Ma family.
He was skilled in painting flowers, birds, landscape, and figures. His paintings featured colors that were light and elegant, and his strokes were terse, straight, and powerful. Portrayals of trees and rocks were swept simplistically by ink in an ancient and refined style. His work, Meeting Between Yaoshan and Li Ao, is now kept at Nanzenji Temple in Japan and is listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan.