Wang Yuanqi (1642-1715) [Qing Dynasty], courtesy name Maojing, nicknamed Lutai, Shishi Taoist, native of Taicang, Jiangsu Province, grandson of Wang Shimin. In the ninth year of Kangxi's reign (1670), he became a Jinshi, and was promoted to Minister of Household Affairs. He was known as Wang Sinong. He dedicated his paintings to the inner court. In the 44th year of Kangxi's reign, he compiled the "Peiwenzhai Calligraphy and Painting Manual" with Sun Yuebang, Song Junye and others. He is good at painting landscapes. He inherited the family tradition and studied the four schools of the Yuan Dynasty. Huang Gongwang is his sect. He likes to use a dry brush to burn ink and rub it layer by layer. He uses the brush calmly and claims to have a vajra pestle at the end of his brush. It is advocated that good painting should be between the time when it is still raw and the time when it is not cooked, it should be original and creative, not bound by ancient methods, ripe but not sweet, raw but not astringent, light but thick, solid but clear, with the spirit of the book flowing out of the paper and ink.
Wang Yuanqi was taught by his grandfather and Wang Jian in painting. He likes to copy famous paintings from the Five Dynasties to the Yuan Dynasty (AD 907--1368 AD). His painting style is mainly influenced by the Yuan Dynasty (AD 1279-- 1368 AD) the influence of Huang Gongwang. In terms of technique, he likes to use dry brushes when painting. He uses the brush first and then the ink. He repeatedly blends the paint from light to thick, from sparse to dense, and rubs it repeatedly. He uses both wet and dry brushes to make the painting appear seamless. In addition to being able to draw, he also wrote painting theories, the more famous ones being "Rain Window Manuscripts" and "Lutai Inscription Painting Manuscripts". Wang Yuanqi is also good at writing poems, and his works include three volumes of "Zu Hua Lou Ji".
Wang Yuanqi inherited the learning of Dong Qichang and Wang Shimin. He was favored by the supreme ruler of the Qing Dynasty, vigorously promoted the mountains and rivers, and led the people. Influenced later generations, the Loudong School was formed (Wang Yuanqi was from Taicang, Jiangsu, Taicang was also called Loudong), which influenced the painting circles of the Qing Dynasty for three hundred years and became a backbone of the orthodox school.
Looking at Wang Yuanqi's painting style throughout his life, he studied painting with his grandfather Wang Shimin in his early years. His landscape paintings are directly derived from his grandfather, with a stronger appearance and a more mellow flavor of pen and ink. He is committed to imitating ancient times and has rich forms. , but lacks the breath of life and true feelings. His early works such as "Landscape Pictures of Imitation Zijiu" were created when the author was thirty years old. This painting imitates Huang Gongwang's brushwork and is superb. The painting is simple and light, with an ancient style. Wang Yuanqi's works in his middle age broke away from the imitation of ancient works and formed their own characteristics. The brushwork and ink are relatively elegant. This characteristic can be seen from "Fuchun Mountain Picture". This picture depicts clouds, mountains and beautiful water, and the brushwork is elegant and refined, without color. Light and mellow, it is the representative work of his middle-aged landscape paintings. Later, he was taught by Wang Jian, and by the time he was sixty years old, he had already demonstrated a sophistication in painting by "practicing before learning". For example, the "Picture of Accumulating Green in Nanshan Mountains" painted by the author when he was seventy years old has superb brushwork and coloring. The sharpness of his writing style is vivid and imaginary, the meaning is sincere and the rhyme is ancient, and the pure and astringent parts can be seen. The color used is mottled crimson and green, which is the ultimate application and fusion of light crimson and green techniques. In the painting, there are many overlapping brushstrokes, and the places where colors and colors are immersed are completely informal and express the true interest of nature.
Wang Hui (April 10, 1632 - November 15, 1717), whose courtesy name was Shigu, was also known as Gengyan Sanren, Jianmen Woodcutter, Wumushanren, Qinghui Old Man, etc. A native of Changshu, Jiangsu. Born on February 21, 1632 (April 10), died on October 13, 1717 (November 15). A famous painter in the Qing Dynasty. Known as the sage of painting in the early Qing Dynasty. Both his grandfather Wang Zaishi and his father Wang Huanlong were good at painting.
Wang Hui has been fond of painting since he was a child. He inherited his family education and studied painting with Zhang Ke, a fellow countryman who learned Huang Gongwang's painting method. He showed his extraordinary painting talent very early. Wang Hui studied under Wang Shimin and Wang Jian. However, the landscapes he painted were not limited to one genre, and he drew from a wide range of paintings, integrating the achievements of various schools since the Tang and Song Dynasties, and integrating the northern and southern painting schools into one furnace. On the basis of Wang Shimin and Wang Jian's development of the Southern School of Painting, Wang Hui borrowed certain techniques from the Northern School to comprehensively sort out the
landscape painting tradition and formulate comprehensive and general rules. Wang Hui perfectly combined the calligraphic brushstrokes of Huang Gongwang and Wang Meng with the compositions of Ju Ran and Fan Kuan to create a rich and powerful landscape painting style. Therefore, the small scenes in the south of the Yangtze River he painted are often full of life and vivid, clear and vivid. Wang Hui likes to use both dry and wet brushes when painting, and he mostly uses fine brushstrokes to create a more dense painting effect. He once said that "using the pen and ink of the Yuan Dynasty to convey the Qiuhe of the Song Dynasty, and using the spirit and rhyme of the Tang Dynasty people, it is a great achievement." His early painting style was clear and elegant, while his late paintings tended to be vast and vigorous. The composition is full of changes, and the ink and light crimson renderings are perfect.
Some critics also pointed out that Wang Hui's brushwork is too smooth, and some paintings appear to be carved, with little change in ink techniques, and the composition feels a bit congested.
Wang Hui, Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, and Wang Yuanqi are collectively known as the "Four Kings". Together with Wu Li and Yun Shouping, they are collectively known as the "Six Schools of the Early Qing Dynasty" or the "Four Kings Wu Yun". His painting skills are profound and he is good at imitating ancient paintings. They can be almost real, but they are not limited by established methods. Some of his works are full of sketching interest, with changeable compositions, good outlines, scratches and renderings, and bright styles. It is more prominent among the four kings. His paintings were extremely famous in the Qing Dynasty. In the 30th year of Kangxi's reign (1691), he was ordered to draw "Kangxi's Southern Inspection", which took three years to complete and was praised by Emperor Kangxi with the four words "Landscapes and Clear Glory". He is regarded as the authentic painter and has many followers. Because he is from Changshu and there is Yushan in Changshu, later generations call it the Yushan School.