Author:

Size:Length:328 x Width:124 (cm)

Introduction：Householder Hweison (1942- ), also known as Hu Ming-hong, pen name Hsuehtsun, is from Tainan and currently lives in Taipei City. He was initially taught the skills of Tōyōga (Eastern Gouache) by Tsai Tsau-ru, then later became the student of Huang Chun-pi, Ou Hao-nien, and others. He has been chosen to display his works in many art exhibitions, including Taiwan Provincial Art Exhibition, Taiyang Art Special Display, National Exhibition of Paintings and Calligraphies, National Watercolor Exhibition, National Printmaking Exhibition, Japanese Calligraphy Exhibition, and so on. He is currently the art consultant at the Chinese Painting and Calligraphy Art Zen Institution. Householder Hweison combines saturation, flow, density and other techniques from traditional ink wash painting with Western perspective and color theories. In addition, he uses silk in colored portraits; when the pigment is applied on the soft silk, the cloth can prevent the work from cracking and peeling when rolled up into a scroll.
He Who Upholds the Realm is the fourth Heavenly King in the Devarāja, responsible for protecting Pūrva-videha. "Upholds the Realm" means to protect the people and the land from harm with compassion. He has a white body, wears armor, and holds a lute in his hands, which implies his title as the God of Music. The lute demonstrates how the tightness of the strings affects one's performance: neither too tight nor too loose is optimal, so one is advised to follow the Middle Path. At the same time, it uses heavenly music to convert people to Buddhism.
In the painting, one can see different perspectives and colors applied. Contrary to traditional Buddhist paintings, Householder Hweison uses a more powerful hooking method when outlining the figures, which amplifies the Heavenly King's grandeur and strength, as well as making the texture of his armor and other details more realistic. His ribbons and clothes are depicted in an impressionistic style to match with the blended background. Compared with heavier and more saturated colors in past Buddhist paintings, the colors are distinct and light, which creates a mist-shrouded impression.

Accession number:PT09401601