Lu Lengqie

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Tang dynasty

Lu Lengqie was a painter from Chang’an (present day Xi’an, Shaanxi) who studied under the renowned artist, Wu Daozi. Within a small space, he could express a spacious and delicate landscape with great precision. He was also known to excel in depicting Buddhist imagery, as can be seen in Illustration of the Hells at Huadu Temple in Shaanxi, Life of the Buddha - Parinirvana at Baoyi Temple, and the murals at Zhuangyan Temple, all of which are recorded in Famous Paintings in History. After arriving in Shu (present day Sichuan), Lu painted portraits of several highly cultivated monks in Daci Temple in Sichuan. His teacher Wu Daozi commended him, stating that Lu’s works exhibited characteristics of his own paintings and that they expressed the true essence of the art form.
Xuanhe Catalog of Paintings documents a total of 150 scroll paintings by Lu including Enlightenment of Sakyamuni Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Manjusri Bodhisattva, and Eminent Monk Crossing the Water. The set of Eighteen Arhats kept at Palace Museum in Beijing is purported to be painted by him.