Dong Qichang

CHINA, Shanghai; Ming dynasty

Dong Qichang was also known as Xuanzai or Xiangguang Jushi. He was an artist from Huating (present day Shanghai). Dong was a diligent student who, at a young age, became an Imperial Scholar after passing the imperial examination in 1589. He was a devoted Buddhist and had a deep understanding of Chan teachings.
Talented and versatile, he excelled at poetry, writing, calligraphy, and painting. Dong learned calligraphy from many masters such as Yan Zhenqing, Wang Xizhi, Li Yong, and Zhao Mengfu, and was a representative of the Shanghai school. He imitated the styles found in copybooks from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties, and believed that a calligrapher should work as though in meditation while scripting from a copybook. He was also proficient in painting landscapes, following the styles of Dong Yuan and Juran, in addition to that of Song and Yuan dynasty masters such as Gao Kegong, Huang Gongwan, and Ni Zan. Dong greatly emphasized the necessity of choosing the right ink and possessing artistic skill in painting; as a result, his works were always elegant and lively.
He scripted numerous pieces of calligraphy including Heart Sutra and Diamond Sutra, retained at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan; Characters - Treasure Store, at the Buddhist Association of China in Beijing; Poetic Illustration of Qixia Temple, at the Shanghai Museum in China; and Praise to Arhats, at the Tokyo National Museum in Japan. He also authored a book entitled Essence of Painting.