Luo Ping

Luo Ping was a Chinese painter of the Qing Dynasty who lived in Ganquan 甘泉; present-day Yangzhou, Jiangsu. His courtesy name was Dunfu (遯夫) and his pseudonyms were Liangfeng (兩峰; Liǎngfēng; lit. "Two Peaks") and Huazhisi Seng (花之寺僧; Huāzhisì Sēng; lit. "Monk of the Temple of Flowers"). He studied painting under Jin Nong and developed a unique personal style. He painted people, Buddhist images, plum with bamboo, flowers, and scenery paintings. He refused government service to live a life of poverty selling paintings. He was the youngest of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou.
Luo Ping's life began with loss and sadness. His father died when Luo was just one year old, and his mother soon after. But from an early age the youth orphan was recognized as a talented poet and gained admission to the exclusive artistic circles of his home town, Yangzhou. At nineteen he married - for love—the poet and painter Fang Wanyi (方婉儀, 1732 - 1779). Their daughter and two sons (Yǔnshào, 允绍, and Yǔnzuǎn, 允缵) also went on to become artists. All painted plum blossoms, the family trade mark (罗家梅派).
Five years after his marriage Luo met the man who would change his life.