Giuseppe Castiglione
Linear perspective painting by Castiglione. The Old Summer Palace museum collection
Born	19 July 1688 Milan, Italy
Died	17 July 1766 (aged 77) Beijing, China
Nationality	Italian
Field	Painting and architecture

Giuseppe Castiglione, S.J. (simplified Chinese: 郎世宁; traditional Chinese: 郎世寧;pinyin: Láng Shìníng) (July 19, 1688 – July 17, 1766) was an Italian Jesuit Brother,missionary in China, painter at the court of the Emperor.

Early life 

Born in Milan's San Marcellino district, Castiglione studied painting in Italy with Carlo Cornara of the renowned Bottega degli Stampatori painting studio. In 1709, he became aJesuit.

Work in China [edit]

In 1715, Castiglione went to China as a missionary. While in China, Castiglione took the name Lang Shining (郎世寧). His skill as an artist was appreciated by the EmperorQianlong and Castiglione spent many years in the court painting various subjects, including the portraits of the Emperor and Empress.

Castiglione's style was a unique blend of European sensibility with Chinese technique and themes. The style was however modified according to Chinese taste - strong shadows used in chiaroscuro techniques were unacceptable as Emperor Qianlong thought that shadows looked like dirt, therefore when Castiglione painted the emperor, the intensity of the light was reduced so that there was no shadow on the face, and the features were distinct.^[1]

In addition to his demonstrable skill as a painter, he was also in charge of designing the Western-Style Palaces in the imperial gardens of the Old Summer Palace. This prominent Jesuit artist, architect, and missionary died in Beijing.

Influences

Due to Castiglione's work Qing court paintings began to show a clear Western influence. Other European painters followed and a new school of painting was created that combined Chinese and Western methods. The influence of Western art on the Qing court paintings is particularly evident in the light, shade, perspective, as well as the priority given to recording contemporary events.^[1]

In 2005, Castiglione became the subject of the television series Palace Artist in China, played by famed Canadian-Chinese actorDashan (Mark Rowswell), and broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV).

Gallery

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  Emperor Qianlong

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  Empress Xiao Xian

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  The Qianlong Emperorchasing a deer on a hunting trip

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  The Pine, Hawk and Glossy Ganoderma

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  Qianlong collecting lingzhi

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  One of Giuseppe Castiglione's Afghan Four Steeds, features a horse named Chaoni'er (超洱骢, literally Exceeding Piebald).

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  Ayusi assailing the rebels with a lance

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  Followers in the Vase