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內容簡介（英文） |
Liu Kuan-tao (style name; Chung-hsien) was a native of Chung-shan (modern Ting County, Hopeh). Excelling at painting and imperial portraiture, he was appointed a commissioner of an imperial bureau. His religious and figure paintings were closely modeled on the ancient methods from the Chin (265-420) and T'ang (618-907) periods, while his landscapes were modeled after those of Kuo Hsi (after 1000-ca. 1090). Liu Kuan-tao was also able to combine the virtues of various painters in his depictions of flowers, bamboo, birds, and other animals. In this painting, a lohan demonstrates his supernatural powers by transforming the carved lotus flower on his cane into a monkey offering a peach. The other lohan leans against a rock watching this manifestation. Even though the figures and drapery lines are cursorily painted and the brushstrokes are not well connected, the intent behind the brushwork is nonetheless sufficient to convey the idea of the forms. The colors are so light as to achieve an air of pure elegance, and they thus remove any traces of commonness. On the painting is an inscription dated to 1356, but Liu Kuan-tao's period of activity appears not to have extended to this year.
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