Shitao

"Flowers of the Four Seasons" by Shitao, on display at LACMA

• Born: 1642
• Died: 1707
• Chinese/Japanese: 石濤 (Shítāo / Sekitou)

Shitao is among the most celebrated of Qing Dynasty painters.

Born as a distant relation to the Ming Dynasty imperial family, Shitao was only two years old when Manchu armies took Beijing and massacred much of his family. He grew up in hiding, in the countryside, as a Buddhist monk.

References

• Gallery labels, LACMA.[1]