Liu Songnian:One of the Four Masters of the Southern Song Dynasty

Liu Songnian (刘松年) : native of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, painter in the Imperial Painting Academy during the successive reigns of Emperors Xiaozong, Guangzong and Ningzong of the Southern Song dynasty (1174-1224) . He was an adept figure and landscape painter and was revered as one of the Four Masters of the Southern Song Dynasty, which included also Li Tang, Ma Yuan and Xia Gui. This painting “The Arhats” (罗汉图) depicts a haloed, bare-chested arhat leaning on a branch of a peach tree, overseeing a young monk cradling his sleeved arms to collect the peaches picked by the monkeys. Two young deer look up at the activity. The arhat is a Buddhist who has attained Nirvana through rigorous discipline and ascetic practices according to Hinayana Buddhism, and is revered by the people. The entire painting is characterized by elegant and powerful brush strokes, elaborate and exquisite coloring and a vivid and life-like portrayal of people. It is a masterpiece of Buddhist painting.

source: The Art Book of Chinese Paintings, published by Long River Press