Sun Wei

CHINA, Zhejiang, Shaoxing; Tang dynasty

Sun Wei was a painter and calligrapher who was also known as Sun Yu or Ji Shanren. He was known to be gregarious and uninhibited by social norms, and made friends with many Buddhists monks. In his early years, Sun studied painting alongside Zhang Nanben, both focusing their art on landscape composition. They later each developed their own respective areas of specialization.
Aside from landscapes, Sun was skilled in painting figures, particularly in depicting the Buddha and other spiritual figures. In Records of Famous Paintings in Yizhou, it is recorded that between 885 and 888 during the Tang dynasty, Sun’s works were much sought after and he was commissioned by many temples to paint murals. In Yingtian Temple in Sichuan, he painted a total of six murals at the request of Chan Master Wuzhi; these included two pieces each of Stone Mountain and Dragon Water, and two other pieces entitled, Dhrtarastra and Followers of Dhrtarastra. In addition, he completed works at other temples such as Zhaojue Temple in Sichuan, as well as at the Meizhou Fuhai Institution, where he was commissioned by National Master Wuda to paint Vaisravana and Pine Trees, Stones, and Creek, both of these paintings are also recorded in Overview of Painting and Xuanhe Catalog of Paintings, the latter of which recorded 27 of Sun’s scroll paintings.
Despite being well-recorded, only one painting by Sun still exists today. Learned Men is found at the Shanghai Museum and portrays a gathering of four officials in a rock garden, each accompanied by their servants. With the use of fine line technique and color, each character is distinctively illustrated. Based on the subject matter and setting, it is inferred that the painting is likely a surviving component of a larger scroll entitled, Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove.