Grand master of mount Huanshan: personality and creativity of the artist Mei Qing

Abstract

This article is devoted to the study of the work of Mei Qing, one of the famous Anhui artists, poets and calligraphers of the 17th century, leaders of the Huangshan School of Painting of the Qing dynasty, whose paintings are currently kept in private collections around the world, presented in museums and galleries and have great demand among connoisseurs of Chinese traditional art. At the same time, the personality and creativity of this Chinese master has not yet received any detailed coverage in the domestic scientific literature, which determines the relevance and scientific novelty of this study. The author’s focus is on the consideration of Mei Qing’s works in the context of his biography, creative attitudes and, most importantly, Taoist philosophy, which determined the main theme of the work of the Chinese artist – Mount Huangshan. The results of the study make it possible to expand the idea of  Mei Qing’s contribution to the visual arts of China, to deeper understand the specifics of Chinese traditional painting and its role in the history of the many-faced culture of the Middle Kingdom, and the preservation of historical and cultural memory.