The Brush and the Spirit In the quiet transition between the Southern Song and the early Yuan dynasty, Yan Hui lived and worked in Ji'an, Jiangxi province. He was known by the courtesy name Qiuyue, a name that brings to mind the pale light of an autumn moon. His hands moved with a specific intent, leaving behind brushstrokes that people noticed for their weight and their precision. He did not focus on the landscape or the mountains, but rather on the presence of figures—human, Buddhist, and the more spectral forms of ghosts. His work carries a certain tension in its composition. He used a sty…