Fang Congyi
Yuan Taoist painter, misty landscapes
Fang Congyi(方从义) (circa 1302–1393) was a famous Taoist painter at the end of the Yuan dynasty, from Guixi, Jiangxi. His courtesy name was Wuyu(无隅), and he went by various pseudonyms including Fanghu(方壶), Shangqing Yushi(上清羽士), Bumang Daoren(不芒道人), Jinmen Yuke(金门羽客), and Guigu Shanren(鬼谷山人). In his early years, he became a Taoist and studied under Jin Yueyan from Yongjia, learning the Taoist teachings. He was a Taoist of the Zhengyi sect at Shangqing Palace on Mount Longhu. After Jin Yueyan passed away, he left Mount Longhu and traveled all over the country, going back and forth between the north and south. In the third year of Zhizheng (1343), he visited Dadu (modern Beijing), where he made friends with many scholars, painters, and high officials. The famous minister Wei Su referred to him as a 'friend beyond the mundane world.' Painter Zhang Yansu even painted a 'Shengjing Mountain Painting' for him as a gift. He was quite well known at the time. Since he didn’t like talking about current affairs and preferred painting, he soon thought about returning south. However, this trip to the north greatly broadened his horizons and significantly influenced his artwork.