HAN KAN

flourished 8th century Pinyin Han Gan Chinese painter of the T'ang dynasty, who, though recorded as having done wall paintings on Buddhist and Taoist themes, is best remembered for his paintings of horses. Han Kan emphasized the strength and nobility of the horses of the T'ang empire with a tautly controlled line and compositions of great clarity. The horse as a subject of painting was continued by Li Kung-lin in the Sung dynasty (9601279) and by Chao Meng-fu in the Yan dynasty (12061368), among others.