Wang Yuan

CHINA, Zhejiang, Hangzhou; Yuan dynasty

Wang Yuan, also known as Ruoshui or Danxuan, was a painter from Qiantang (present day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). At a young age, he received painting lessons from the renowned artist Zhao Mengfu. He learned to paint landscapes by studying the works of Guo Xi, and Huang Quan was his influence for depictions of flowers and birds.
Between 1328 and 1330, when Longxiang Temple in Nanjing was being built, Wang and Tang Li were involved in the painting of murals; unfortunately these images no longer exist. His extant paintings include Birds by the Bamboo and Rocks, kept at the Shanghai Museum; Colorful Pheasant by a Peach Tree and Bamboo and Peony Flowers, kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing; and Meeting Friends in a Pavilion Under Pine Trees and Eagle Pursuing Thrushes, both of which are kept at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.