Wang Guan

CHINA, Henan, Luoyang; Five Dynasties to Northern Song dynasty

Wang Guan was a painter who began practicing the art at a young age. Because of his impoverished background, he was unable to afford to study painting in school. Instead, he went to a Daoist temple in Beimangshan in Henan to study murals painted by Wu Daozi, a renowned Tang dynasty painter. After he learned and perfected Wu’s techniques, Wang became regarded as the Second Wu.
Wang painted Buddhist figures and is known to have created murals at Zhaobao Temple in Henan. His painting became highly reputed and many aristocrats sought to collect his works. With his meticulous skills and elegant coloring, the Evaluation of Famous Painters of the Song Dynasty lists him as one of the best painters of his time.