Water and Land Ritual paintings

The Water and Land Ritual paintings (水陆画) are a style of traditional Chinese painting based on religious or Chinese mythological subjects. The paintings are mainly intricate portraits of deities, historical figures, and the contrasting lives of common people and tragedies, in an ornate style with rich use of vivid colors and patterns. The paintings can encompass a wide range of mediums, including scroll-painting, murals, and even sculptures.

Despite their often mythological subject matter, the parts of the Water and Land paintings that are dedicated to commoners show a realistic, often downtrodden and tragic view of their everyday lives, as part of the ritual to reflect on the suffering of the deceased. The paintings preserve the intricacies of their respective eras' fashions and give a greater view of their cultural and spiritual landscape. The visual similarities in the portraits between the divine figures and traditional Chinese opera costumes also illuminate the mutual inspiration between the two art forms.

The history of Water and Land Ritual painting can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period, with other early mentions during the late Tang dynasty, and became popular during the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties as a part of the Buddhist Liberation Rite of Water and Land to appease and enshrine spirits of the deceased. While the painting style has its origins in Buddhist ritual, the paintings also include Taoist and Ruist figures as reflections of local folk-religious culture. Many of the best-preserved paintings are from the Ming and Qing dynasties, particularly in Shanxi and Hebei.