Ma Hezhi

Chinese

Master of rhythmic willow-leaf figure painting

Ma Hezhi(马和之) was a Chinese painter of the Southern Song Dynasty. His birth and death years are unknown, but he was active during Emperor Gaozong's reign (12th century). He was from Qiantang (present-day Hangzhou, Zhejiang). During the Shaoxing period (1131–1162) of the Southern Song, he passed the imperial exams, and some sources say he served as Vice Minister of Works or War. He was a court painter, holding the highest official rank among painters in the Southern Song imperial painting academy, and was considered the leading figure among the ten painters at the emperor’s court (Zhou Mi: 'There were only ten painters at the imperial court, and Hezhi was the head of them'). He was good at painting Buddhist figures, architectural drawings, and landscapes, but excelled especially in painting people. His figure painting followed the styles of Wu Daozi and Li Gonglin. He imitated the 'Wu style' and used willow-leaf strokes (also called Ma Huang strokes), with clear variations in brush pressure and line thickness. His coloring was light and subtle, brushwork flowing and graceful, lively and stylish, full of rhythm, while also breaking away from tradition to create a unique style. His painting style was similar to the Tang dynasty master Wu Daozi, earning him the nickname 'Little Wu Sheng' in his time.

Artworks by this artist (122 total)