The book portrays the journey of artist Xie Shan, who dedicated his life to painting despite suffering from cornea thinning (keratoconus), auditory hallucinations and congenital schizophrenia. As a self-taught artist, Xie Shan’s exploration was purely based on visual experience. As a result of a rare sight condition and a cornea transplant in his early 20s, he attempted to capture subject matter with brilliant colour and extraordinary plasticity on canvas. Xie Shan had a challenging career path but remained resilient and persisted through the difficulties. His art style and sensibility go against the conventions of the modern art world, making his work original and unique. The book’s visual and narrative potential make it a contemporary revelation of the myth of being a painter.

Dr Joshua Gong is a leading expert on contemporary Chinese art. He taught at the University of Sussex and Shanghai Normal University. He was a recipient of the Young Scholar Grant, Tate Modern, 2015. His first monograph was nominated for the best art publication by the Award of Art China.