Bidspirit auction | Heart Sutra in the Form

Heart Sutra in the Form of a Pagoda with Buddha Images by Pu Ru (Xishan Yishi) - Pu Ru (1896-1963), courtesy name Xinyu and self-titled Xihang Yishi (Hermit of Western Hills), was a grandson of Prince Gong of the Qing Dynasty. A renowned scholar-painter of modern China, he was celebrated alongside Zhang Daqian as ”Zhang of the South and Pu of the North” and with Wu Hufan as ”Wu of the South and Pu of the North”. Immersed in the imperial art collection since childhood, he mastered classics and poetry while developing a distinctive literati painting style rooted in Song and Yuan traditions. His landscapes exhibit ethereal brushwork and subtle ink tones, particularly excelling in small-scale landscapes and architectural paintings. Masterpieces like Cold Jade Hall Landscape Album and Visiting Friends in Autumn Mountains combine the precipitous grandeur of Northern school with the lyrical elegance of Southern style. After moving to Taiwan in 1949, he taught at Taiwan Normal University and published scholarly works including Commentaries on Four Books and Cold Jade Hall Painting Theories. His legacy is honored as ”the last beacon of Chinese literati painting”.