Yan Hui

CHINA, Jiangxi, Ji’an; Yuan dynasty

Yan Hui, who had a nickname of Qiuyue, was a painter from Luling (present day Ji’an, Jiangxi). He is also thought to be from Jiangshan, Quzhou in Zhejiang. According to Records of Renovating Fushun Temple, Yan painted several temple murals. Furthermore, it was noted that the murals in Puge Temple in Jiangxi, which featured images of Hanshan and Shide, were painted by Yan. He was good at painting Buddhist and Daoist figures, ghosts, and deities with flowing lines and interesting forms. Yan’s works indicate that he was influenced by styles of the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279), but with the application of his own techniques.
Extant paintings by Yan include Toad and Tieguai, listed as National Treasures of Japan and kept at Chionin Temple in Kyoto, Japan; Repairing Scriptures Under the Moon, kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan; Immortal Tieguai, kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing; and Manjusri Riding Lion. In addition, his painting of Hanshan and Shide, listed as an Important Cultural Property of Japan, is now kept at the Tokyo National Museum, while Buddha and Two Bodhisattvas is kept at Rokuoin Temple in Tokyo, and Water-Moon Avalokitesvara is at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Missouri, USA.