Zhao Dexuan

CHINA, Shaanxi, Xi’an; Later Shu Kingdom

Also known as Yuande, Zhao Dexuan was a painter from Changan (present day Xi’an, Shaanxi). An intellect and knowledgeable in several different subjects, he was granted a position as a scholar in the Hanlin Academy. Later, to escape the upheaval between 936 and 944 during the Later Jin dynasty, he went to Shu (present day Sichuan) and brought with him hundreds of famous paintings from the Liang (502–557), Sui (581–618), and Tang (618–907) dynasties.
Zhao was adept in painting Buddhist figures, deities, spirits, buildings, and landscapes, earning himself a reputation in the Shu area. His architectural renderings exhibited distinct three-dimensional characteristics. At Fuqing Chan Monastery in Fujian, he painted two murals of Invisible Arhats. He also painted 13 murals of the Eastward Spread of Buddhism, which was completed with the assistance of his son, Zhao Zhongyi. His paintings, Village of Zhuchen, Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty Returning to His Hometown, and Plentiful Harvest are recorded in both Records of Famous Paintings in Yizhou and Overview of Painting.