Painting during the Tang Dynasty was (for the first time) dominated by landscape painting, known as shan shui (mountain-water) painting, which consisted of scenic views of mountains, rivers and waterfalls, depicted with pen and ink rather than paint. (See: Pen and Ink Drawings.) In these typically monochrome pictures, the desired aim was not naturalism - the replication of nature - but the capture of the 'essence' or underlying 'rhythm' of nature. These landscapes were executed mainly on vertical or horizontal scrolls, which suited the more discreet requirements of shan shui practitioners, many of whom were scholars rather than professional painters and preferred to display their work within their own select circles. One of the best landscape artists during the Tang Dynasty was Wang Wei (699-759), the reputed leader of the Southern school of painting. His style of ink and wash painting served as a model for later generations. Note: For the main principles underlying art in China, see: Traditional Chinese Art: Characteristics.
Zhou Fang (c.730-800) was another eminent scroll painter of the day. Initially commissioned to paint religious subjects for the emperor, he is best known for his paintings of court figures, especially of court ladies in their leisure moments. He is also known for his penetrating portrait art. Another important Tang court artist was Han Gan (c.706-83). He, too, painted Buddhist subjects, although his main contribution to the royal art collection of Emperor Xuanzong (712-56) were his pictures of imperial horses. The greatest master of figure painting was Wu Daozi (flourished 710-760), who completed over 300 murals in Buddhist and Daoist temples at Luoyang and Changan. He is also noted for his landscape art, but his work now survives only in rubbings from engraved stones. See also the related art of Calligraphy.