Everybody’s favorite Wang, Wang Hui was a 17^th century Chinese landscape-painting prodigy.

Ok, maybe not everybody’s favorite Wang but he was definitely the favorite of the “Four Wangs.” Before you think I’m being crass, I’ll explain. The “Four Wangs” were a group of four late-Ming, early-Qing dynasty Chinese orthodox painters all with the surname Wang and Wang Hui was the favorite and best known of the Wangs even today.

It turns out that Wang Hui came from a long line of painting Wangs (you’re going to have to get your mind out of the gutter in order to get through this). His great grandfathers, grandfather, father and uncles were all artists and taught little Wang Hui to paint when he was a kid. Later, two masters, Zhang Ke and Wang Shimin took over his artistic education and taught him to copy famous artists. But Wang Hui always added his own flair to the piece, which was why he was the best Wang in the game. He called this practice the “Great Synthesis” which is a little over the top but we’ll give it to him.

Wang Hui did get a little full of himself after the emperor named him “painter of landscapes clear and radiant,” (la dee da) and refused to sell his long time friend and mentor, Wang Shimin one of his paintings because he got a better offer from some rich collector. Wang really let the fame go to his head even after everything that he and other Wang had been though together!

Wang Hui was criticized by Westerners as an “art-historical artist,” only painting according to the old masters without any innovation of his own, which is an outrage though because Wang Hui was the most creative Wang out there and his legacy stands as proof of just that.