Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics were a group of painters and calligraphers with similar styles who were active in Yangzhou from the middle period of Kangxi to the end of Qianlong in Qing Dynasty. They are often called "Yangzhou School of Painting" in art history. In the history of painting in China, there are different opinions, generally recognized as: Jin Nong, Zheng Xie, Huang Shen, Shan Li, Li, Wang, Gao Xiang.
Most of them were born in poverty, lived a poor life, and were lofty and wild. Calligraphy and painting often become the media for them to express their wishes and feelings. The painting and calligraphy style of Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics is different from ordinary people, unconventional and sometimes derogatory, so it is called "Eight Eccentrics".
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There are different opinions about which painters Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics refer to. Some people say it's eight, others say it's more than eight; Some people say these eight, others say the other eight. According to various writings, there are as many as fifteen people.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the eight eccentrics were recorded earlier and most completely in Li's Comments on Painting and Calligraphy in Ou Tuoshi, so most people still take the eight eccentrics proposed by Li as the standard. Namely: Wang, Zheng Xie, Gao Xiang, Jin Nong, Li Shan, Huang Shen, Li,.
As for the painters mentioned by others, such as Ruan Yuan, Hua Yan, Min Zhen, Gao, Li Mian, Chen Zhuan, Bian Shoumin, Yang Fa, etc. It can also be included because of similar painting styles. Because the word "eight" can be regarded as a number or a divisor.
There is also a saying in Yangzhou that the "Eight Eccentrics in Yangzhou" refers to the "Ugly Eccentrics" in Yangzhou. Because the artistic style of Yangzhou Eight Eccentrics was not recognized by the so-called orthodox painting school at that time, they pursued nature, truth and reality.
They moved some ordinary people into their paintings and even exposed the dark side of society. This behavior harmed the interests of the rulers, saying that they were all "ugly monsters" in the painting world, hence the name of Yangzhou Eight Monsters.
Baidu encyclopedia-Yangzhou eight eccentrics