Wu Daozi, also known as Daoxuan. He was a native of Yangzhai (present-day Yuxian County, Henan Province). He was an outstanding painter in the Tang Dynasty of China, and was known as the "Sage of Painting" for his outstanding painting achievements.
Wu Daozi was born in a poor family, and was poor and lonely since childhood. However, in the midst of adversity, Wu Daozi was a young man with a strong ambition to learn, and he was especially fond of painting. His talent was the same hobby art official WeiSiLi appreciation, accept him to do under the pawn, from WuDaoZi have the opportunity to follow WeiSiLi to sichuan, four shu beautiful scenery, the majestic landscape, enlightened his creative talent. Wu Daozi did not stick to the ancient method, boldly explore, and finally formed his own style, created the body of landscape.
Wu Daozi later served as a lieutenant of Yanzhou's Flaw Qiu, and when the tediousness of his official duties made it impossible for him to paint, he decided to abandon his post, and at the age of 20, he came to the eastern capital of Luoyang, where he concentrated on the art of painting. He studied calligraphy with Zhang Xu and He Zhizhang, and among his classmates was the famous sculptor Yang Huizi, who was later honored as the "Saint of Plastic". Because of his obsession with painting, Wu Daozi later simply gave up calligraphy and devoted himself to painting.
Because of his love for painting, Wu Daozi painted with passion. When he painted, he kept his mind in the dantian, was fully concentrated, had a plan in mind, and had the idea of the whole painting in his mind, so no matter how big the portrait he painted, no matter whether he started from the head, or from the hand, or from the foot, he was able to paint a marvelous piece of work. Wu Daozi painted murals for many temples at that time, and his reputation overflowed in all directions.
Tang Xuanzong Li Longji was a very elegant emperor, and he himself was very good at music, calligraphy and painting. When he heard of Wu Daozi's fame, he called him to Chang'an (now Xi'an, Shaanxi) and asked him to paint for the court. After entering the palace, Wu Daozi had the opportunity to accompany the emperor on his tours, and was able to make friends with celebrities from all over the world and browse the ancient monuments of the four directions. This is to broaden Wu Daozi's horizons, the formation of his painting style has an important role.
Wu Daozi was also good at finding artistic inspiration from life. He once watched General Pei Man, a famous swordsman at that time, perform a sword dance, General Pei's dashing, flowing sword dance made Wu Daozi y inspired. He was so inspired that he drew and painted with the help of his brush, and his paintings were as vivid as if they had been painted by God.
Wu Daozi's painting skills broke through the techniques of his predecessors. His figures and statues of Buddha, although not silk necessary, but the charm is sufficient. Wu Daozi was good at using the fluttering changes and power of lines to express the flexible and colorful image of the figures. He painted figures with fluttering horns and dancing, forming a unique style of "Wu Dangfeng". This kind of realistic painting effect made his paintings famous for a while, and was called "Wu's style". Wu Daozi's paintings not only emphasize realism, but also the spirit.
Wu Daozi's painting skill was widely known at that time. Whenever he painted in the temple, the onlookers surrounded him like a wall. When Wu Daozi painted the round light above the head of a Buddha statue, he didn't need to think about it, but just waved his hand, and a round arc appeared, which made the onlookers gasp in amazement. Wu Daozi has a rich imagination, even if the characters of a thousand, he can draw no similarity. All this was due to his talent in painting and, more importantly, his usual hard practice. Wu Daozi's painting, Zhang Xu's cursive writing and Pei Man's swordplay were known as the "Three Greats" of the time.
During the Tianbao period, Wu Daozi was sent to Sichuan to paint the scenery of the Jialing River. This time, he revisited his hometown, Wu Daozi in a comfortable mood, both sides of the green mountains, green water, one by one in the eyes. After returning to the capital, Wu Daozi unrolled a scroll in the main hall, will be 300 miles of the Sichuan River scenery, a day between the painting is good. Emperor Tang Xuanzong praised Wu Daozi for his work, saying that what other painters had to accomplish in months, Wu Daozi could do in a day. Wu Daozi's skill in painting landscapes and figures earned him the reputation of "Saint of Painting". His classmate Yang Huizi was also very successful in painting, but after seeing Wu Daozi's paintings, he sighed in admiration and gave up painting, specializing in sculpture, and eventually became a generation of "sculpture saint". At that time in the painting world, Wu Daozi enjoys a very high reputation, the later generation of painters have to worship him as a teacher, a group of disciples, far-reaching influence.
After the "An Shi Rebellion", the Tang Dynasty turned from prosperity to decline, and at this time has been close to the twilight of the late Wu Daozi is also very cold, and soon he will be in solitude in the silence of the swift death. However, the painting techniques he created had a great influence on future generations, not only in China, but also on the painting world of Korea and Japan are indelible. His famous works, such as "The Picture of the Heavenly King Who Sends His Son", "The Picture of the High Priest", and "The Picture of Hell", are rare treasures of great value.