Changying

CHINA, Shanghai; Ming dynasty

Changying, whose original name was Li Zhaoheng and was also known as Kexue, was a monk and painter born in Huating (present day Shanghai). Changying excelled in painting landscapes, borrowing styles from the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties. He was a skillful writer, poet, and art theorist. Before he became an established painter however, he was a calligrapher whose brushwork and use of ink was known to be dense and smooth, elegant and graceful, with a mix of classical, calm, and solemn styles. Changying’s works include numerous landscape paintings, which are kept the Palace Museum in Beijing.