生平

1688年7月19日，郎世宁出生于义大利米兰的（该教堂位于米兰布雷拉区，现已不存），本名为朱塞佩·卡斯蒂廖内（Giuseppe Castiglione）。郎世宁自幼受到良好的艺术文化氛围的薰陶，青年时期随卡洛科纳拉学习绘画与建筑，年轻时进入一个米兰著名画家的画室。郎世宁的父母了解他对于绘画的喜爱，所以他们帮助他进入画室。文献是说当时五六岁的郎世宁既进入著名画家的画室，但文献却不说画师是谁。我们猜测是Filippo Abbiati或是卡洛科纳拉，当时最有名的画家之一，那位画师收到来自米兰的圣堂以及贵族宫殿的最重要委托。六岁的郎世宁在画室开始打工，磨颜色，摹仿老师的画，还复制在米兰收集成的画。

1707年（19岁），郎世宁加入了热那亚耶稣会，刚开始只为义大利的教堂画壁画，1714年，他居往在葡萄牙里斯本及科英布拉。郎世宁逐渐对中国产生了相当大的兴趣。

1715年（康熙五十四年），郎世宁前往中国。他先在澳门学习中文、并以「郎世宁」作为汉名。之后，郎世宁被康熙帝以艺术家的身份召进宫中，他成为宫廷画家后，每天都在画室作画。但来自康熙的委任工作大部分都丢了，只有很少数的还在，我们不太知道当时郎世宁画了什么。此外，他继续学习汉文和满文。

1722年（康熙六十一年），康熙帝在北京畅春园驾崩。雍正帝即位后，施行禁教政策，下令驱逐在中国境内的传教士，不过只有在宫廷服务的传教士例外，因此他不仅没有受到驱逐，反而受到更高的礼遇，因为他拥有生动现实的绘画风格，受到雍正帝的青睐。这一段时期，他创作了《聚瑞图》、《嵩献英芝图》、《八骏图》等作品，展示欧洲明暗画法的风格，使欧洲油画技艺在宫廷内盛极一时。雍正帝下令扩建圆明园，他参与圆明园的规划设计，负责绘制园林建设的蓝图，也画出不少装饰殿堂的作品。雍正时，郎世宁完成一幅最重要委任画作之一，「百骏图」的手卷，郎世宁从剧场画法的透视感，呈现出百骏图的风光。摆在桌上的手卷里，可以看见风景和百匹马，那些全是皇帝的马。在百骏图中，第一幅见证画，郎世宁马上让大家看自己的独创性。他的独创是联合义式方法与中国的美学。这是一个具有不同重点的透视感，而不是一个线性的透视。郎世宁的方法，是用交点透视（linear perspective），或称直线透视法，让透视视觉跟中华画空间的方式结合。所以，一幅画里也有很多案例，有的部份遵照透视的规定，也有别的部份遵照等角投影（axonometric isometric projection），中国画家用的，或在别处遵照空气透视（atmospheric perspective），用水墨，液体的颜料。例如用在画像和颜色的对照。

1735年（雍正十三年），雍正帝驾崩。乾隆帝继位后，由于乾隆帝雅好艺术，郎世宁更加受到重用。他曾多次陪同乾隆帝出巡，出席各种重大场合，创作一批极具历史价值的艺术珍品，代表作如《乾隆大阅图》。他继续担任圆明园西洋楼的建筑设计，还曾一度担任掌管皇家园林工作的奉宸苑苑卿一职，官居正三品。

1758年（乾隆二十三年），乾隆帝曾为郎世宁举办七十岁大寿，证明他在宫中颇受礼遇及恩宠。晚年亦为乾隆帝及其妃留下不少的肖像。

1766年（乾隆三十一年），郎世宁去世，享年78岁，再追封侍郎衔。葬于滕公栅栏。

在他之后的西洋传教士画家有王致诚、艾启蒙（Ignaz Sichelbarth）、贺清泰、潘廷章等。

郎世宁的画作在现今中国画拍卖市场中是相当高价的作品，2000年他的《苹野秋鸣》卖出价是1765.5万港币，是当时第二高价卖出的中国画，2005年5月，他的《秋林群鹿》更是拍卖出的价格达到2149.68万人民币。

传教

郎世宁虽然最初以传教士的身份来中国，但自雍正帝禁教以来，他并没有因此被逐出紫禁城，反而极受礼遇，有很大一部分的原因是，他在清朝宫中拥有宫廷画师的职位，尽管他本人始终不曾忘记传教的想法，然而在禁教政策之下，凡是有任何企图传教的举止，都会被禁止，使得他终生未能实现传教的愿望，因此在中国，多称他为宫廷画家，而少称他为传教士。

评价

郎世宁在一生大半待在中国，历代康熙、雍正、乾隆三朝，计约有50馀年。他不仅为后世留下大量珍贵的画作，而且对中西文化交流有一定程度的贡献。他的宫廷画作品融合中西绘画艺术，不但表现出西方绘画中的写实、立体、注重线条和结构等特点，也表现出中国传统绘画的传神与韵味，在数十年的探索中，致力于融合中西方绘画技法于一体，创作出独特的画风，尽管拥有一定的艺术价值，然而他的绘画作品较为重视技巧而非艺术的探索，因此不论在中国和西方均未被视为伟大的作品。另外他参与圆明园的规划设计，其内部的建筑、环境和式样采用了西方艺术巴洛克式风格，而装饰细节上则有具有东方中国的艺术神韵。他引进西方文艺复兴时期开创的明暗写实画法，并改用胶状颜料在宣纸上作画，也就是今日的胶彩画作法。他曾试图要求康熙帝开办学习用西方透视原理来绘画的绘画学校，但不被采用，后来与中国学者年希尧一起出版了一本《视学》，是中国第一部西洋透视学专著。

代表作品

郎世宁的代表作品有《八骏图》、《聚瑞图》、《嵩献英芝图》、《乾隆大阅图》、《百骏图》、《弘历及后妃像》、《平定西域战图》、《十骏犬图》、西洋楼等。后世艺评家认为他画马最为传神。

File:Eight Steeds.jpg|八骏图

File:Xian'e Changchun Album 01.jpg|牡丹图仙萼长春册

File:Flowers in a Vase.jpg|瓶花

File:Beauties Collection, Giuseppe Castiglione.jpg|聚瑞图

File:Everlasting Spring and Long Life.jpg|万寿长春图

File:Aquatic Plants and Fish.jpg|鱼藻

File:Hundreds of butterflies.jpg|百蝶图

File:A Colorful Spring.jpg|锦春图

File:Cranes under Shadow of Flowers.jpg|花阴双鹤图

File:Peacock Spreads Its Tail.jpg|孔雀开屏图

File:White Falcon by Giuseppe Castiglione.jpg|白鹰

File:White Falcon.jpg|白鹘图

File:White Ape.jpg|白猿图

File:Dog Under Flowers.jpg|花底仙尨图

File:Ten Prized Dogs 10.jpg|雪爪卢十骏犬图之一

File:Auspicious Roe Deer.jpg|瑞麅

File:Horse Hongyuzuo.jpg|红玉座八骏图之一

File:The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback.jpg|乾隆大阅图

File:Qianlong emperor hunting.jpg|威弧获鹿图

File:Spring』s Peaceful Message.jpg|平安春信图

File:Qianlong collecting lingzhi.jpg|采芝图

File:清 郎世宁绘《清高宗乾隆帝朝服像》.jpg|乾隆帝朝服像

File:Consort ChunHui.JPG|纯惠皇贵妃朝服像

File:塞宴四事图（清）.jpg|塞宴四事图

File:Langshiming mao.JPG|阿玉锡持矛荡寇图

北京圆明园的十二兽首

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Early life

Castiglione was born in Milan's San Marcellino district on 19 July 1688. He was educated at home with a private tutor, then a common practice among wealthy families. He also learned to paint under the guidance of a master. In 1707, he entered the Society of Jesus in Genoa aged 19. Although a Jesuit, he was never ordained as a priest, instead joining as a lay brother.

Works

Paintings

In the late 17th century, a number of European Jesuit painters served in the Qing court of the Kangxi Emperor who was interested in employing European Jesuits trained in various fields, including painting. In the early 18th century, Jesuits in China made a request for a painter to be sent to the imperial court in Beijing. Castiglione was identified as a promising candidate and he accepted the post. In 1710, on the way to Lisbon, he passed through Coimbra where he stayed for several years to decorate the chapel of St. Francis Borgia in the Church of the novitiate, today the New Cathedral of Coimbra. He painted several panels in the chapel and a Circumcision of Jesus for the main altar of the same church.

In August 1715, Castiglione arrived in Macau, China, and reached Beijing later in the year. He stayed at a Jesuit church called St Joseph Mission or Eastern Hall (Dong Tang) in Chinese. He was presented to the Kangxi Emperor who viewed his painting of a dog, another source said a bird was also painted on the spot on Kangxi's request. He was assigned a few disciples, but was placed to work as an artisan in the palace enameling workshop.

While in China, Castiglione took the name Lang Shining (郞世宁). Castiglione adapted his Western painting style to Chinese themes and taste. His earliest surviving painting created in such style was from the first year of Yongzheng's reign in 1723. He was permitted to leave the enamel workshop by Yongzheng as it was affecting his eyesight. Although Castaglione was favored by Yongzheng who commissioned a number of works by him, Yongzheng's reign was a difficult period for the Jesuits as Christianity was suppressed and those missionaries not working for the emperor were expelled.

His skill as an artist was appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor, and Castiglione served the Emperor for three decades and was granted increasingly higher official rank within the Qing court. He spent many years in the court painting various subjects, including the portraits of the emperor and empress. Qianlong showed particularly interest in paintings of tribute horses presented to Emperor on which Castiglione painted a series.

In 1765, Castiglione and other Jesuit painters also created a series of "Battle Copper Prints" commissioned by the Emperor to commemorate his military campaigns. Small-scale copies of his paintings were shipped to Paris and rendered into engravings with etching before being returned to China. This series of sixteen prints by Castiglione (who contributed two) and his contemporaries Jean-Denis Attiret, Ignatius Sichelbart and Jean-Damascène Sallusti were created in this way.

Castiglione died in Beijing in 17 July 1766. An obituary was personally penned by Qianlong, who also erected a special stone in Castiglione's memory. He was buried in the Jesuits' Zhalan Cemetery in Beijing.

Architecture

In addition to his skill as a painter, he was also in charge of designing the Western-Style Palaces in the imperial gardens of the Old Summer Palace with assistance from other Jesuits such as Jean-Denis Attiret. The project was initiated by Qianlong in 1747 in a garden once used by Yongzheng, with the construction of European styled palaces and gardens, aviaries, a maze, and perspective paintings organized as an outdoor theatrical stage, as well as fountains and waterworks designed by Michel Benoist. Castiglione also created trompe-l'œil paintings on the walls of the palaces. The buildings, however, were destroyed in 1860 during the Second Opium War. Castiglione's architectural works were lost, although influences of his trompe-l'œil murals survive in paintings on walls and ceilings which were executed by his assistant in Juanqinzhai in Qianlong Garden in the Forbidden City.

Style and techniques

Castiglione's style of painting is a unique blend of European and Chinese compositional sensibility, technique and themes. He adjusted the Western style he was trained in to suit Chinese taste; for example, strong shadows used in chiaroscuro techniques were unacceptable in portraiture as the Qianlong Emperor 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. Emperors also preferred to have their portraits painted full face with a frontal posture, the royal portraits are therefore usually painted in such a manner.

The paintings were done on silk, and unlike Western painting where mistakes can be reworked, brushwork on silk is almost impossible to be removed, therefore requires careful and precise painting. The painting needed to be worked out in detail beforehand, which Castiglione did in a preparatory drawing on paper before he traced the design onto silk. An example is the most important early work by Castiglione, One Hundred Horses in a Landscape (百骏图), for which the preparatory drawings survive. It was painted in 1728 for the Yongzheng emperor. Some of the horses are in a 'flying gallop' pose, which had not been done before by European painters. The painting was executed using tempera on silk in the form of a Chinese handscroll of nearly eight meters in length. It was largely done in a European-style in accordance with the rules of perspective, and with a consistent light source. However, the dramatic chiaroscuro shading typical of Baroque paintings is reduced and there are only traces of shadow under the hooves of the horses.

Castiglione was assisted in many of his paintings by a number of court painters. For example, in the painting Deer Hunting Patrol (哨鹿图, Shaolutu), he would be responsible for painting the portraits of the emperor and other officials on horseback. Other members of the hunting party, the trees and landscape however would be painted by other court painters in a Chinese style that is distinctly different from Castiglione's.

Legacy

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.

In 2005, Castiglione became the subject of the television series Palace Artist in China, played by Canadian-Chinese actor Dashan (Mark Rowswell), and broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV).. He is briefly portrayed at the end of the 48th episode of Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace, painting the emperor and the empress together in one of the few happy episode of the TV series.

Gallery

File:Qianlong1.jpg|The Qianlong Emperor

File:清 郎世宁绘《清高宗乾隆帝朝服像》.jpg|Another image of Qianlong Emperor

File:Qianlong emperor hunting.jpg|The Qianlong Emperor chasing a deer on a hunting trip

File:The Pine, Hawk and Glossy Ganoderma.jpg|The Pine, Hawk and Glossy Ganoderma, painted in honour of Yongzheng's birthday, 1724

File:Qianlong collecting lingzhi.jpg|Qianlong collecting lingzhi

File:Ten Prized Dogs 04.jpg|One of a series in Ten Prized Dogs

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

File:Ayusi Assailing The Rebels with a Lance.jpg|Ayusi assailing the rebels with a lance

File:Followers in the Vase.jpg|Flowers in the Vase