Wang Wei
Wang Wei (王維; 701-761) was a Chinese poet, painter, musician and official of the Tang dynasty. Landscape was a central subject of his poetry and painting.[1][2]
Poetry and painting
Wang served in government posts in the capital and the provinces. His Buddhist practice informed poetry associated with simplicity and detachment, in which natural details often take precedence over human activity.[1] The Academy of American Poets characterizes his verse by its brevity and precise attention to small details in nature, placing him alongside his contemporaries Li Bai and Du Fu.[2]
He is also remembered for landscape painting and the use of ink washes. No paintings securely attributable to him survive, although his reputation as a painter influenced later artists.[1]
Deer enclosure
"Deer enclosure" (鹿柴), from the Wang River Collection, moves from unseen human voices to light entering a forest:[3]
空山不見人，但聞人語響。
返景入深林，復照青苔上。
On the empty mountain no one is seen,
yet the sound of voices is heard.
Returning light enters the deep forest
and shines again upon the green moss.
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Wang Wei". Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "About Wang Wei". Academy of American Poets. Retrieved 2026-09-28.
- ↑ "鹿柴". Wikisource. Retrieved 2026-09-28.