On this day, 337 years ago, on July 19, 1688 (June 22, 1688, the lunar calendar), Lang Shining, author of "Hundred Horses" of the Qing Dynasty, was born. lang shining (From the TV series "Court Painter Lang Shining") Lang Shining (Giuseppe Castiglione, July 19, 1688-July 16, 1766) was an Italian, formerly known as Giuseppe Gastiglione. He was born in Milan. In the 54th year of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1715), he came to China to preach as a monk of the Catholic Jesuit Order. He immediately entered the palace and became a court painter. He participated in the design of the Western Tower of Yuanmingyuan and served in the Kang, Yong and Qian dynasties. He has been engaged in painting in China for more than 50 years. In his painting creation, Lang Shining integrated Chinese and Western techniques to form a fine and realistic effect and create a new style of painting. Therefore, he was deeply valued by Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. Despite this, the foreign painter Lang Shining had to abide by the Qing Dynasty painting system of drawing manuscripts before painting and waiting for the emperor's approval before "painting as usual". The manuscript of Lang Shining's "Hundred Horses Painting" retained at the Metropolitan Museum in New York in the United States illustrates this. Lang Shining also taught European painting techniques to court painters in China, making the court paintings of the Qing Dynasty have the characteristics of "combining Chinese and Western" and presenting a novel painting appearance and unique style different from the court paintings of previous dynasties. Because Lang Shining brought Western painting techniques and demonstrated the charm of European chiaroscuro to emperors and other court painters, he was successively reused by Emperor Kangxi, Emperor Yongzheng, and Emperor Qianlong. He was an all-round artist. He covered and refined everything in characters, portraits, animals, flowers and birds, mountains and rivers. He became a representative figure in court painting during the reign of Emperor Yongzheng and Emperor Qianlong. Outside the court, Lang Shining also had a close relationship with several half-brothers of Emperor Yongzheng, such as Prince Yi Yunxiang, Prince Guo Yunli, Prince Shen Yunxi, etc., and painted for them, and many works have been passed down to this day. For example, the page of "Prince Guo Yunli Statue"(collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing), the banner of "Eight Horses Painting"(collected by the Jiangxi Province Museum), and the "Ma Tu" volume (collected by the Shanghai Museum). Although Lang Shining's paintings can be said to be a combination of Chinese and Western paintings, the main painting techniques are actually Western, but the use of light has been adjusted according to the aesthetic habits of China. European portraits, such as Rembrandt in the Netherlands, often placed characters in a side-lit environment, and the face would be half-bright and half-dark. However, at that time, China couldn't stand it and thought it was a "Yin and Yang face" and the face was stained by painting. Lang Shining learned from China portraits, asking people's faces to accept front light as much as possible and avoid side light. At the same time, they should be slightly weighted on both sides of the nose, under the nose and neck of the character, so that the five senses will be clearer and three-dimensional. Lang Shining also played a big role in the introduction of perspective in China. Nian Xiyao, a scholar during the Yongzheng period and brother of the famous governor Nian Gengyao, wrote the earliest book in China that introduced perspective,"Visual Studies". It was mentioned in the article that the book was written after many conversations and discussions with Scholar Lang. There are many woodcuts introducing European perspective. In the era before cameras were available, Lang Shining also used his brush to record many important figures and events, such as the scene where Emperor Qianlong received surrendered minority leaders at the Chengde Summer Resort. Hongli Cai Zhi Picture Axis Beijing Palace Museum Collection Hongli Temple Collection Eight Horses Picture Jinchun Picture Taipei Palace Museum Collection Flower Yin Double Crane Picture Taipei Palace Museum Collection Paintings Crossing Toes Sure enough Taipei Museum Collection Qianlong Year Music Picture