Lang Shining (1688-1766), formerly known as Lang Shao, surnamed Shi Ning, surnamed Chengyuan, was an Italian missionary and a court painter in the Qing Dynasty. He was known as “the first person in Western painting to enter China”. He has a unique position in the history of Chinese art, especially in the court school of painting in the Qing Dynasty. Lang Shining’s artistic achievements are not only reflected in his introduction of Western painting techniques, but also in his successful integration of these techniques with traditional Chinese art, creating a court painting style with Chinese characteristics.
I. Lang Shining’s background and life
Lang Shining was born in Turin, Italy. His family was relatively poor, but he was extremely talented. When he was young, he showed outstanding artistic talent. In 1709, Lang Shining came to China with Italian missionaries. He originally came to China as a missionary. However, his painting talent was soon discovered by the Qing Palace, appreciated by the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and began his artistic career in the court under the call of Emperor Kangxi.
In 1715, Lang Shining was officially appointed as a “Painter” and became a member of the court painter. He not only painted many works for the court, but also participated in the design of court architecture, gardens and decoration, and gradually integrated into the art system of the Qing Dynasty court.
II. Lang Shining’s artistic style
Lang Shining’s painting style integrates the essence of Chinese and Western art. He inherits Western perspective, light and shadow effects and other techniques, and at the same time, he does not lose the artistic conception and expression techniques of traditional Chinese painting. His works show the distinctive characteristics of Western painting, especially the use of realistic skills. Unlike traditional Chinese brush painting, Lang Shining emphasizes the three-dimensionality of objects and the depth of space, making the works look more vivid and three-dimensional.
However, he did not blindly imitate Western painting, but combined Western painting with Chinese art, especially in the expression of character portrayal and traditional landscape painting, integrating the “brush and ink” spirit of Chinese painting. He prefers to be vivid and bright in the use of colors. At the same time, he retains the delicacy and frif-hand of Chinese painting, which complements the Western naturalistic painting method with the traditional Chinese painting style, forming an artistic style with unique charm.
III. Court paintings and contributions
As a court painter in the Qing Dynasty, Lang Shining’s contributions were mainly reflected in the following aspects:
- Portraits of the emperor: Lang Shining created a large number of portraits for Emperor Qianlong, Emperor Yongzheng and other emperors. His portraits are famous for their realism and delicacy, and also show the emperor’s majesty and noble temperament, which has become an important part of court art.
Two. Paintings on religious and historical themes: Lang Shining not only painted court figures, but also created a large number of religious and historical paintings. These works are not only artistic embodiments, but also witnesses of the cultural exchange between the court culture of the Qing Dynasty and Western religions.
- Folk paintings and landscape paintings: Lang Shining also has some folk paintings and landscape paintings, which have a strong Western realistic color, but when expressing Chinese customs and landscape scenery, they also integrate the expression techniques of traditional Chinese art.
IV. The influence of Lang Shining
Lang Shining not only left a profound impact on the history of Chinese court painting, but also built a bridge for the exchange of Eastern and Western art to his contributions to Chinese art. His works are the product of the fusion of Chinese and Western cultures, which promoted the development of court art in the Qing Dynasty and provided valuable artistic heritage for later painters.
For example, later Qing Palace painters, such as Chen Hongqi and Zheng Xie, were inspired by Lang Shining’s technique and began to try to integrate more Western elements into traditional Chinese paintings. Lang Shining’s artistic exploration has brought new thinking and possibilities to Chinese painting, which is of historical significance to the enlightenment and development of modern Chinese art.
V. Conclusion
Lang Shining is an artist who has played an important role in cultural exchanges between East and West. He is not only the inlegrator of Western art techniques, but also the pioneer of the integration of Chinese and Western art. Through his efforts, the artistic style of court painting in the Qing Dynasty was enriched and innovated, and the art history of the Qing Dynasty was therefore more brilliant due to Lang Shining’s contribution. To this day, his works are still regarded as an important witness to the integration of Chinese and Western cultures, and are worthy of our in-depth study and cherishing.