Guan Xiu was a painter during the late Tang to Five Dynasties, specialized in painting lohan (arhat) figures--initiated disciples of Buddha.

Legend has it that the first portraits of the 16 Lohans were painted by Guan Xiu, in 891 A.D. According to records, it was because of his expert painting skill that the Lohans chose him to paint their portraits. They appeared to him in his dreams to make that request. Guan Xiu often said, "It was in a dream that I saw these Gods and Buddhas. After I woke up, I painted what I saw in the dream. So, I guess I can refer to these Arhats as 'Arhats in a dream.'"

Guanxiu depicted lohans in the form of "those beyond this world"--strangely eccentric. All 16 lohans have bushy eyebrows, large eyes, protruding cheekbones, a long nose, and an Indian or Central Asian countenance... very different from... native Chinese monks.

--Wikimedia, 2023--

EDITOR'S NOTE

The text above emphasizes the physical differences between Guan Xiu's dream figures and the conventionalized Buddhas and saints seen elsewhere in East Asian art. What strikes me is their dynamic energy and strange character--more like portraits of the eccentric sages of Taoism, or spirits and sages in old Japanese prints (or modern manga). Of course, Guan Xiu's work has had a millennium to shape such portraits; it may be hard for us to see their radical originality. Here are four examples; see for yourself.

The 12th Arhat, Nagasena

The 16th Arhat, Cudapanthaka

The 5th Arhat, Nakula

The 11th Arhat, Rahula

SOURCE: The Dream World by R.L. Megroz, 1939, p.58 (spelled Kwan Hiu), plus Wikimedia 2023.

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