Ma Yuan

1140-1225 Chinese

Ma Yuan

Master of one-corner Southern Song landscapes

Ma Yuan (1140–1225), courtesy name Yaofu, art name Qinshan, was originally from Hezhong (today’s Yongji, Shanxi) and grew up in Lin’an (today’s Hangzhou, Zhejiang). He was a painting master of the Southern Song Dynasty. He came from a family of painters. His great-grandfather Ma Ben worked as an imperial painter in the Northern Song court, and his grandfather Ma Xingzu, father Ma Shirong, and brother Ma Kui were all painters in the Southern Song court. He served as a court painter under both Emperor Guangzong and Emperor Ningzong, and together with Li Tang, Liu Songnian, and Xia Gui, he was known as one of the "Four Masters of the Southern Song." Ma Yuan studied under Li Tang. In landscape painting, he broke away from full-view compositions and used small scenes in corners to express space, earning the nickname "Ma of One Corner." His brushwork was strong and broad, and his texture strokes were firm. His works cover landscapes, figures, and flowers and birds. Surviving silk paintings in color include "Tage Tu" (Dance Song Painting), "Shui Tu" (Water Painting), and "Mei Shi Xi Fu Tu" (Plum, Rock, and Stream with Ducks), which are housed in places like the Palace Museum. His figure paintings depict Buddhist, Daoist, noble, and fisherman-woodcutter figures, and his bird-and-flower paintings often combine with landscapes. His son Ma Lin continued the family tradition and also served as a court painter.

Artworks by this artist (54 total)