Fang Congzhen

CHINA, Sichuan, Chengdu; Former Shu Kingdom

Fang Congzhen was a painter from Chengdu, Sichuan. He served as painter-in-attendance at the Hanlin Academy and was highly-regarded for his skillful paintings of armored horses, figures, ghosts, and deities.
Invited by Emperor Gaozu (reigned 907–918) of the Former Shu Kingdom, he painted murals in Longxing Temple, which consisted of a lively and vivid arrangement of armored horses, flags, officials, ghosts, and deities. Fang’s disciple, Pu Shixun, also excelled in painting Buddhist images and once restored the mural of Heavenly Kings with Subordinate Deities, originally painted by Fang in the Heavenly Kings Pavilion of Baoli Temple.
According to Overview of Painting, he painted the image of Zhuge Liang Leading the Army Across the Lu River on wooden screens in the palace of the Later Shu Kingdom. Records of Famous Paintings in Yizhou also documented four of his paintings, including Hunting Tour of King Ning and Immigration of the Qiang People.