Wei Yan

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Tang dynasty

Wei Yan was a painter from Chang’an (present day Xi’an, Shaanxi). His father, Wei Jian, and uncle, Wei Luan, were both painters, and Wei is said to have surpassed them both. According to Records of Famous Paintings from the Tang Dynasty, he was skilled in painting monks, horses, pine trees, rocks, and landscapes. The famous poet Du Fu praised his paintings of horses in two poems, Poem for Wei Yan’s Horse Paintings and Poem for the Painting of Twin Pine Trees. Famous Paintings in History also regarded his horse paintings as superb, and his pines and rocks exquisite.
Wei’s paintings, Indian Monk, Monk Across the Water, and Herding are listed in New Book of Tang. In addition, 27 other pieces are documented in Xuanhe Catalog of Paintings. His painting of Two Riders is kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan, and a copy of Herding, painted by Li Gonglin, is kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing. The History of Painting also records several paintings by Wei.