Huang Shen

CHINA, Fujian, Sanming; Qing dynasty

Huang Shen, who was also known as Gong Shou or Gong Mao, was a painter and calligrapher from Ninghua county of Sanming. He was raised in a temple and spent his days painting, cultivating his skills at a very early age. Later, he would be regarded as one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou for his expressive and innovative artistic demeanor.
Huang mastered poetry, painting, and calligraphy. In the painting realm, he specialized in rendering landscapes and nature, as well as religious figures and scenes. As a calligrapher, Huang learned and mastered cursive script under the guidance of the well-known Buddhist monk and calligrapher, Huaisu. However, traces of his teacher’s influence are barely discernible, and where Huaisu’s style was smooth and fluent, Huang’s style was stout and unrestrained. This was especially evident in his rampant display of wild cursive script. His works include the painting, Striking a Gong, which is now kept at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.