Wu Daozi

Wu Daozi (or Wu Tao-tzu) (simplified Chinese: 吴道子; traditional Chinese: 吳道子; pinyin: Wú Dàozǐ; Wade–Giles: Wu Tao-tzu) (680–740) was a Chinese artist of the Tang Dynasty, famous for initiating new myths in his artwork.

Wu Daozi is considered to be the greatest Chinese painter in the Tang Dynasty. He is also considered by many Chinese to be the greatest Chinese painter of all time. Sadly, many of his works, mostly murals, have been destroyed.

The Eighty-Seven Celestials is considered to be one of the only authentic works remaining. The Presentation of Buddha was purchased from a German lady by another famous Chinese artist, only to end up in the hands of the Japanese. After extensive research and dating, it has been revealed that the work had been produced in the Song Dynasty. Many speculate that this is a reproduction of the original.

Many of his murals were created on temple walls. Since he was extremely famous, many monks asked him to create their temples walls. However, many of these murals were destroyed, along with the temples.

Legend has it that one man found one of the last surviving murals of Wu Daozi, learned to imitate the style, and then destroyed the wall, possibly by pushing it into a river. This was to ensure that nobody else besides him could imitate the style of the great Wu Daozi.

One myth follows the creation by Wu Daozi of a mural commissioned by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China. The mural on the wall of the palace was a rich nature scene set in a valley, containing a stunning array of flora and fauna.

Wu Daozi had gone further and painted a cave at the foot of a mountain. The story goes that he clapped his hands and entered the cave, inviting the Emperor to follow. The painter entered the cave but the entrance closed behind him, and before the astonished emperor could move or utter a word, the painting had vanished from the wall. He also created one of the most famous painting of Confucius

Wu mainly created religious murals all his life. According to records, Wu painted over 300 murals and more than 100 scrolls. While many of them involved Buddism and Taoism, Wu also drew mountains, rivers, flowers, birds and so on. The Presentation of Buddha is his most representitve work.