Zhang Tu

CHINA, Henan, Luoyang; Later Liang dynasty

Zhang Tu was an artist known for creating large Buddhist paintings. He did not study painting nor emulate the styles of any teacher, yet he developed a style of his own. His painted images were outlined with bold strokes, and the faces and limbs were detailed using finer lines.
During the Later Liang dynasty (907–923), monk Yixuan of Guang’ai Temple in Henan recruited the renowned painter Bayi to paint the doors and murals of the temple. While Bayi was drafting the sample of the painting, Zhang requested to paint the right wall. Baiyi was so impressed by Zhang’s work that he allowed him to continue painting on the east wall. The Addendum to Famous Paintings of the Five Dynasties highly praises his Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the Ten Kings of Hell. His other paintings include Sakyamuni Buddha, which is listed in Overview of Painting. The Evaluation of Painters also records some of Zhang’s works.