Liang Kai

Liáng Kǎi (梁楷) (fl. late 12th-early 13th century) was a Chinese artist, also known as Madman Liang. He was born in Shandong and worked in Lin An (later Hangzhou).^[1] He is known to have studied with the master Jia Shigu.^[2]

He was awarded the rank of Painter-in-Attendance at the court of Jia Tai (1201-1204 CE, Southern Song Dynasty) where he was known for mastery in painting figures, landscapes, and other minor subjects.^[3] He is most famous for originating or developing the "Xie Yi" (sometimes translated as "sketch style") of painting, where the objective is to evoke the subject or atmosphere with minimal use of detail; it requires a profound mastery of painting technique and perfect concentration, but also allows for the beauty of accidental effects.^[4]

He left his position at court to practise Chan Buddhism. Xie Yi style is closely associated with the "sudden enlightenment", "mindfulness", and "spontaneity" aspects of this school of Buddhism.

One of his more famous pieces, Budai, shows the Budai Luohan wandering through the country-side. The swift, smiling brush strokes embody the Chan philosophy of sudden enlightenment.^{[citation needed]}

Works generally attributed to Liáng Kǎi: painting of the poet Li Bai, the Drunken Celestial (aka A Sage); The Sixth Patriarch Cutting Bamboo; and in a more academic style, a series called the Eight Eminent Monks paintings. ^[5][6]

Li Bai Strolling

The Sixth Patriarch Cutting Bamboo

Drunken Celestial

Shakyamuni Emerging from the Mountains

References

1. ^ Shen, Zhiyu (1981). The Shanghai Museum of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.. pp. 223–224. ISBN 0-81091646-0. 
2. ^ Loehr, Max (1980). The Great Painters of China. Oxford: Phaidon Press. pp. 215–216. ISBN 0-7148-2008-3. 
3. ^ Shen, Zhiyu (1981). The Shanghai Museum of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.. pp. 223–224. ISBN 0-81091646-0. 
4. ^ Kwo, Da-Wei (1981). Chinese Brushwork, Its History, Aesthetics, and Techniques. London: George Prior. pp. 103–104. ISBN 0-8390-0267-X. 
5. ^ Shen, Zhiyu (1981). The Shanghai Museum of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.. pp. 223–224. ISBN 0-81091646-0. 
6. ^ Shen, Zhiyu (1981). The Shanghai Museum of Art. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc.. pp. 223–224. ISBN 0-81091646-0. 

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