Wang Xi
The Prodigy of the Northern Song Wang Ximeng was a Chinese painter active during the Northern Song dynasty. A remarkable prodigy, he was a student at the imperial court's school of paintings. His talent was recognized by Emperor Huizong of Song, who saw his potential and personally taught him. During his brief life, he created his only surviving work, a long blue-green scroll titled A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains, which he finished in 1113 at the age of 18. The artist died at the age of 23. His singular masterpiece, which has been hailed as a masterpiece of Chinese art, is currently h…
The Subject Atlas
A chart of Wang Xi's corpus mapped not by date but by subject. Spokes are what they painted; rings are when; and the threads between stars reveal the patrons and places that secretly connect them.
Spokes — Subject
Each arm of the atlas gathers works by what they depict: portraits, sacred scenes, mythologies, and the scientific studies. Click a spoke to swing that cluster to the top.
Rings — Career Period
Distance from the center marks time. The innermost ring is the earliest period; the outermost, the final years. Style matures as you move outward.
Threads — Shared Context
Coloured lines link works bound by the same patron, commission, or theme. Trace a context to watch related clusters light up across subjects.