The Eighteen Lohans

This highly imaginative series of paintings depicts the eighteen Buddhist Luohan with heavily distorted features in almost cartoonlike imagery. Luohan, also knowns as arhats, are enlightened disciples of Buddha and protectors of the Buddhist law. The artist Leng Mei was a leading court artist capable of a superb outline style (baimiao) and brilliantly colored figures that display Western-style modeling in facial features and shadows. Leng’s extraordinary fantasy beasts, the Luohan's vehicles and sidekicks, possess a nightmarish charm that is humorous and original.