- Type: Artist Video
- Collection: East Asian Art, European Art
- Culture/Region: China, Europe
- Subject Area: Fine Arts
- Grade Level: 6-12, college, adult
Jesuit missionary Giuseppe Castiglione of Milan, Italy set sail for China in 1714. After learning Chinese in Macau he adopted a Chinese name, Lang Shining, and he arrived in Beijing in 1715 during the reign of Emperor Kangxi. He was soon appointed as a Qing court painter.
Lang Shining skillfully used Western linear perspective and oil painting techniques, combined them with the Chinese aesthetics and traditional media, and developed his own distinctive style. His subtle contrast of light and dark created three-dimensional features. So admired, Castiglione was given access to three generations of Qing emperors and to the royal family.