Han Gan

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Han Gan

Chinese painter

Also known as: Han Kan

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Quick Facts

Wade-Giles romanization:: Han Kan

Flourished:: 8th century

Flourished:: c.1725 - c.1775

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Han Gan (flourished 8th century) was a Chinese painter of the Tang dynasty, who, though recorded as having done wall paintings on Buddhist and Daoist themes, is best remembered for his paintings of horses. Han emphasized the strength and nobility of the horses of the Tang empire by using a tautly controlled line and compositions of great clarity. The horse as a subject of painting was continued by Li Gonglin in the Song dynasty (960–1279) and by Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan dynasty (1206–1368), among others.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Encyclopaedia Britannica.