Characteristics and representative figures of Tang Dynasty paintings
On the basis of the national unification of the Sui Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty experienced the "Government of Zhenguan" and the country became strong, economically prosperous and culturally developed.
Reflected in the paintings, the enthusiasm for creation is unprecedentedly high, the scale is grand, the atmosphere is endless, famous painters emerge in large numbers, and they are as bright as stars. It is the most glorious page in the history of Chinese painting.
1. The Yan brothers, figure painters in the early Tang Dynasty
Brothers Yan Lide and Liben were important figure painters in the early Tang Dynasty.
Their ancestors were prominent officials in the Northern Wei and Northern Zhou Dynasties. Their father, Yan Pi, married Princess Qingdu, the daughter of Emperor Wu of the Later Zhou Dynasty. They entered the Sui Dynasty and served as officials and young eunuchs in the palace. He will be a young eunuch. He is good at calligraphy and painting, and is familiar with old times. He once designed chariots and chariots for the court, and he has gained and lost many times.
Lide inherited his family education. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, he made six robes, including Yanmian fur coats, umbrellas and fans, and built mausoleums. He became a master craftsman and minister of the Ministry of Industry.
At the same time, he was good at painting, and his work "Zong Gong Tu" said that "the weird nature of the characters from different places can only be seen by famous artists since the Liang and Wei Dynasties." Unfortunately, the work has not been passed down to this day.
Liben (? - 673) introduced his family education. He succeeded his brother as Minister of the Ministry of Industry, and later became the Minister of the Right.
Because he is good at painting, he is known as "the right prime minister is famous for his paintings".
He is capable of painting figures, carriages and horses, buildings and Taoist interpretations. He has created portraits of important figures such as "Pictures of Eighteen Scholars in the Qin Mansion" and "Pictures of Heroes of Lingyan Pavilion".
The "Building Chariot Picture" (collected by the Palace Museum, copied by the Song Dynasty) depicts the scene of Tang Taizong Li Shimin sitting on the chariot and receiving Lu Dongzan, the envoy sent by Tibet to marry Princess Wencheng.
The depiction of the characters in the picture shows different statuses and the different looks and temperaments of various ethnic groups. It has the nature of portrait creation and is a portrayal of a real historical event.
In addition, it is said that the "Pictures of Emperors in the Past Dynasties" (now in the Boston Museum of America) was made by Yan Liben, which depicts the portraits of thirteen emperors and their courtiers from Emperor Zhao of the Han Dynasty to Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty. Praise and criticism are vivid and vivid in the depiction of the character's spiritual form.
2. Wu Daozi, a painting sage in the prosperous Tang Dynasty
Wu Daozi is known as the "posterior of Zhang Sengyao". His art inherited Zhang Sengyao's simple modeling skills, "brushwork It's only one or two, and the image is already there." Between the dots and strokes, there are often gaps, which later generations called "sparse style".
His brushwork is like "water shield strips", vigorous, upright and majestic.
I like to use burnt ink to outline, and add a little light color, so that it is natural and expressive. It is said that "the clothes are flying in the sky and the wind is blowing all over the wall". It has the reputation of "Wu Dai is in the wind" and is called "Wu suit".
His religious murals spread in a unique artistic style, which was called "Wu Family Style" at the time.
Its characteristic is that when writing, it is either from the arm or from the feet first. It does not follow the rules and is done in one stroke, but without losing the scale.
Wu Daozi’s works no longer exist today. The volume of "Sending His Son to the Heavenly King" collected by the Osaka City Museum of Art in Japan is said to be the original work of Wu Daozi. In fact, it is at best a draft of his facsimile.
Wu Zongyuan of the Northern Song Dynasty had seen Wu Daozi's murals in temples in Luoyang and other places, and worked hard to learn his modeling and brushwork. From his "Chaoyuan Immortal Battle Picture" (now in a private collection in the United States), it can be seen that Discover its artistic characteristics.
In addition to documentary records, to understand Wu Daozi's art, the Tang Dynasty murals in the Mogao Grottoes and the Tang Dynasty tomb murals may provide some clues.
3. Lady Painters Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang
The use of women and children alone as subjects for painting had new developments in the Tang Dynasty.
Before that, the images of women and children appeared in paintings, either as foils in character stories, or as tools for feudal preaching, such as Gu Kaizhi's "Proverbs for Women's History"; and as descriptions of their daily lives. Works for the purpose of appreciation in daily life only appeared in large numbers in the Tang Dynasty, represented by Zhang Xuan and Zhou Fang.
Zhang Xuan was active during the Kaiyuan period of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
His images of aristocratic women reflect the hedonistic and joyful atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty.
His works include "Tampering Picture" copied by Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty (now in the Boston Museum of the United States), "Mrs. Guo Guo's Spring Outing" (now in the Liaoning Provincial Museum), etc.
The former describes various labor activities of women in the palace during training, with vivid details and full of life; the latter depicts Yang Guifei's third sister, Mrs. Guo Guo, and her family members on a horseback riding outing, with the team decorated with flowers, reflecting Yang The prominence and arrogance of the sisters.
Zhou Fang, courtesy name Jingxuan, was born in Chang'an (today's Xi'an). He was born in an aristocratic family. He was an official in Xuanzhou Prefecture and was active during the reign of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty.
His paintings of ladies "were inspired by Zhang Xuan at first, but slightly different later on."
The portraits he painted are "not only similar in appearance, but also expressive."
The religious mural, the first "Shuiyue Guanyin", was widely circulated and was called "Zhou Family Model".
Among the handed down works are "Ladies Waving Fans" (now in the Palace Museum), which depicts a group of gorgeously dressed palace women leisurely and bored.
The depressed mood of the characters is vividly displayed on the painting, ready to be revealed.
The women in Zhou Fang's works have lost the joyful atmosphere of Zhang Xuan's works, reflecting the changes in the mood of the times.
The "Picture of Ladies with Hairpins" (now in the Liaoning Provincial Museum), which is said to be the work of Zhou Fang, is a framed screen painting from the Tang Dynasty. It is characterized by skillful technique, delicate brushwork and rich colors. , is an excellent work by an unknown craftsman from the Tang Dynasty.
4. Landscape painters Li and his son and Wang Wei
Li Sixun (651-716), whose courtesy name was Jian, was a member of the Tang clan.
Gaozong was the magistrate of Jiangdu at that time. Wu Zetian gave up his official position and went into hiding when he was in power. Zhongzong was restored to the throne and served as Zong Zhengqing. Xuanzong was appointed as General Youwuwei.
He is good at landscape painting, and inherited the green landscape painting method since Zhan Ziqian. It is resplendent and dazzling, and is respected by later generations.
The content of his works does not get rid of the theme of seeking immortality and Taoism since the Six Dynasties.
The extant "Pavilion with Sails on the River" (now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei) is said to be his work. It depicts the vastness of the river and sky, the sails tracing the current, and the broad realm.
There are various painting methods for trees, and there are some crackling techniques for mountains and rocks based on hook lines, which is a continuation of Zhan Ziqian's "Spring Outing".
Li Sixun's son Li Zhaodao inherited the family tradition and was also famous for his green landscape paintings. Together with his father, he was known as "General Li".
Wang Wei (701-761), also known as Mojie, was a famous poet who was also good at painting.
In his later years, he lived in seclusion in Lantian, Shaanxi Province, and created "Wangchuan Picture" with the scenery of his manor, which created the trend of villa paintings of literati and officials, which was admired by later generations.
Su Shi praised him for "painting within poetry" and "poetry within painting".
In the late Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang and others advocated the "Northern and Southern School" theory of landscape painting, describing Li Sixun as the "ancestor of the Northern School" and Wang Wei as the "ancestor of the Southern School", creating ink and freehand literati paintings.
It is said that Wang Wei has "Fu Sheng Teaching Sutras" (now in the Osaka Museum of Art, Japan), "Snowy Creek Picture" (now in the National Palace Museum, Taipei), etc., but they are not credible. Wang Wei's painting style To be further discussed.
5. Animal painters Han Gan and Han Huang
Pommel horses have been a popular painting theme since the Han Dynasty. With the development of painting in different disciplines, a group of painters with the characteristics of painting appeared in the Tang Dynasty. Painters famous for their pommel horses, such as Cao Ba, Han Gan, Chen Hong, Wei Yan, etc.
Cows are also often included in paintings. Experts in painting cows include Han Huang, Dai Song, etc.
Paintings depicting domestic animals such as cattle and horses (including dragons, tigers, deer, deer, apes, monkeys, cats, dogs, etc.) can be summarized as animal paintings in the Song Dynasty.
Han Gan was born into a poor family. With Wang Wei's support, he studied painting with Cao Ba and became famous for his portraits and pommel horses.
Tian Baozhong was summoned to the court and ordered to draw pictures of royal horses. Xuanzong asked him to copy Chen Hong's horse paintings. He said: "I have my own master, and all the horses in your majesty's stables are my masters." ." This shows his pursuit.
Among the works handed down from generation to generation are "White Picture at Night" (now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA), which depicts a fat horse tied to a stake, with its head raised and neighing, which is very vivid.
Han Huang (723-787), named Taichong, was from Chang'an.
Promoted from local official to prime minister and granted the title of Duke of Jin.
In his spare time as an official, he likes painting. He is good at figures, farm customs, cattle and horses, etc. His writing skills are outstanding, but he does not produce many works.
There is "Five Cows Picture" handed down from ancient times (collected by the Palace Museum), which depicts five cows, each with its own posture.
The lines used are thick and powerful, showing the strong body and tough leather of the cow, which is lifelike and rare in the history of Chinese painting.
6. The colorful murals of the Tang Dynasty
The murals of the Tang Dynasty include palaces, temples, grottoes, tombs, etc.
The prosperity of murals in palaces and temples has been recorded in literature, exceeding that of previous eras. However, with the destruction of the buildings, they have long since disappeared. All that can be seen today are the murals in grottoes and tombs. .
Painting characteristics and character representatives of the Five Dynasties and Two Song Dynasties
At the end of the Tang Dynasty, vassal towns were divided and the country was divided, and the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms emerged one after another.
The areas where painting was popular during the Five Dynasties were mainly in the Central Plains, Western Shu and the Southern Tang Dynasty.
Both Western Shu and the Southern Tang Dynasty established painting academies. Landscape, flower and bird painting became mature, and a group of painters who had great influence on later generations emerged.
After the unification of the Northern Song Dynasty, painting developed further, painting academies flourished, and literati painting emerged.
There are many works handed down from this period. Although the temple murals and other murals have achieved some achievements, they have taken a back seat in comparison.
1. Figure painters Zhou Wenju and Gu Hongzhong
Zhou Wenju, a native of Jurong, Jinling, is good at figures, landscapes, buildings and ladies.
He inherited the tradition of Zhou Fang, but in the depiction of clothing patterns, he absorbed the "thin, hard and wary" calligraphy of Li Yu (called "war brush painting"), that is, the trembling brushwork, and formed his own style.
His works include "Picture in the Palace", "Picture of Chess on Double Screen" (now in the Palace Museum), "Picture of Figures in Liuli Hall" (copy in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, USA), etc.
"Chess Playing on the Double Screen" depicts Li Jing, the leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty, playing chess with his brothers. It has the nature of a portrait; the clothing pattern and the battle brush are the characteristics of its painting method.
"Liu Li Tang Figures" describes the poetry and drinking activities of literati and officials, each with his own expression.
According to expert research, Han Huan's "Wenyuan Picture" (now in the Palace Museum) is one of the parts.
The only extant work by Gu Hongzhong is "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" (now in the Palace Museum).
According to records, this painting was commissioned by Li Yu, the later master of the Southern Tang Dynasty.
The whole painting is divided into five sections: listening to music, watching dancing, resting, blowing, and saying goodbye. It describes Han Xizai's night banquet, which objectively reflects the decadent life of the nobles at that time.
Due to the author's superb technique, the portrayal of Han Xizai can reveal the inner contradiction and pain through images; other characters painted also have their own characteristics and are vivid and lifelike.
The line drawing is neat, precise, methodical, and the coloring is gorgeous, elegant, rich and coordinated, all reaching the highest level of this period.
Other famous painters during this period include Seng Guanxiu, Ruan Gao, Hu Ni, Wei Xian, etc.
Hu Huan, a Khitan, was good at painting people and horses of his tribe. The flat sand moraine showed the scenery of the Khitan tribe and beyond the Great Wall. There is a "Zhuo Xie Tu" handed down from generation to generation (collected by the Palace Museum).
Wei Xian was a painter at the Painting Academy of the Southern Tang Dynasty. His works include "The Picture of Gao Shi" (collected by the Palace Museum), which uses landscape as the main subject and depicts the story of Liang Hong and Meng Guang's mutual respect.
2. "Xu Huang Variation" and the flower-and-bird painting of the Northern Song Dynasty
Flower-and-bird painting improved dramatically in the Song Dynasty.
In terms of art, it greatly surpassed the Tang Dynasty.
"Xu Huang Yi Style" refers to the two major schools of flower and bird painting with different artistic styles represented by Xu Xi and Huang Quan. It was first recorded in Guo Ruoxu's "Picture Experience and Knowledge".
Xu Xi, a native of Jinling (now Nanjing), had an indifferent nature. Most of the flowers and birds he painted were "Ting flowers, wild bamboos, water birds and fish", and "vegetable stems and seedlings were also included in the paintings".
His painting method is "heavy strokes with a little bit of red powder", which may be a light color painting method mainly based on outline, and is known as "falling ink flowers".
His subject matter, content and painting methods all show the taste of a scholar and a scholar, so he is known as "Xu Xi's wild and elegant".
But he also served the court and created some decorative works, which were called "paving palace flowers" and "decorating hall flowers".
Huang Quan, also known as Yaoshu, was born in Chengdu and was a court painter in Western Shu.
In addition to figure paintings, he is especially good at flower and bird paintings. He often paints rare birds and animals in the palace, as well as strange flowers and rocks for the enjoyment of emperors and nobles.
The painting method is to first outline the outline with a fine brush, and then apply heavy colors. It is extremely meticulous and magnificent, so it is known as "The Wealth of the Huang Family".
His handed down works include "Sketch of Rare Birds" (collected by the Palace Museum).
3. New contributions of Jing, Guan, Dong and Ju landscape paintings
The Five Dynasties was an important period in the development of Chinese landscape painting, which was manifested in (1) the establishment of ink landscape painting; (2) the establishment of painters Going deep into nature, different brushwork styles were created, and two major factions, the North and the South, emerged.
Representative painters include Jing Hao, Guan Tong, Dong Yuan and Ju Ran.
Jing Hao and Guan Tong created a new style for expressing the majestic beauty of nature, and raised the ideological content of landscape painting to a new height.
Dong Yuan and Ju Ran created another new style of landscape painting, which was highly praised and imitated by literati painters since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. They were more influential than Jing and Guan.
4. Li Cheng, Fan Kuan and Early Song Dynasty Landscape Painting
Li Cheng, Guan Tong, and Fan Kuan were considered to be the three coexisting masters in the early Song Dynasty, and they were evaluated as "the three masters standing together and setting the course for generations."
The steepness of Guan Tong, the vastness of Li Cheng and the majesty of Fan Kuan represent the different styles of the northern style of landscape painting in the early Song Dynasty.
5. Guo Xi and his "Linquan Gaozhiji"
Guo Xi's painting theory is concentrated in the book "Linquan Gaozhiji" compiled by his son Guo Si .
There are ***6 sections in the book. The first four sections explain the painting theory and painting methods, emphasizing that the creation of landscape paintings should go deep into nature, conduct research, and observe the four seasons, morning and evening, cloudy and clear, and cloudy and sunny, landscape paintings from a comparative perspective. Different changes such as distance, near, height, etc., and connect these changes with people's thoughts and emotions, thereby creating landscape paintings full of ideals and artistic conception.
In terms of specific techniques, he proposed the "three distances" (flat distance, high distance, and deep distance) framing method of landscape painting.
"Lin Quan Gao Zhi Ji" is my country's first theoretical work that systematically and completely explains the creation rules of landscape painting. It is of great significance in the history of aesthetic development.
Su Shi (1037-1101), whose courtesy name was Zizhan and whose nickname was Dongpo, was from Meishan, Sichuan.
He was a writer and calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty. He was also good at painting dead wood, bamboo and stone.
His main contribution in painting is to promote the development of literati painting and put forward a series of insights on the theory of literati painting, which can be summarized in the following points: (1) Determine the characteristics of literati painting The status is higher than that of craftsman painting.
He admired Wu Daozi very much, but he admired Wang Wei even more.
Officially proposed the concept of "literati painting".
(2) Emphasis on the subjective feelings of artistic image creation in order to seek meaning beyond the image.
There are poems such as "When discussing paintings based on shape, we see children as neighbors" and "Mojie obtained the image outside the image, just like the immortal feathers and the cage fan" and other poems.
(3) Promote the poetic interest expressed in painting.
For example, "Wemojie's poems have paintings within the poems; Weimojie's paintings have poems within the paintings." "In ancient times, painters were not ordinary people, and they copied objects and images in the same way as poets." and so on. etc., all of which had a great influence on later paintings.
Su Shi’s work "Picture of Dead Trees and Strange Rocks" (today in Japan) survives.
Painters who made significant contributions to literati painting at the same time as Su Shi include Wen Tong and Mi Fu.
Wen Tong (1018-1079), courtesy name Yuke, was a poet and painter from Yongtai, Sichuan.
He was good at painting ink bamboo. Because he came from Huzhou (now Wuxing, Zhejiang), those who painted ink bamboo and later learned his painting method were called the "Huzhou Bamboo School".
He once went deep into the bamboo forest and made careful observation and research. He first had a solid idea in his mind and then started to create.
There are two "Ink Bamboo Pictures" in existence.
Painting characteristics and character representations of the Liao, Jin and Yuan dynasties
The paintings of the Liao Dynasty inherited the traditions of the Tang and Five Dynasties, but were unique in that they mostly described the living conditions of the northern minorities, using characters , mostly pommel horses.
The paintings of flowers, birds and animals have a strong decorative flavor and unique techniques. However, landscape painting is still in the development stage and has not yet reached maturity, far less than the prosperity of Northern Song Dynasty painting.
"Picture of Shooting and Riding" by Yelvbei This picture is a portrait of a Khitan noble hunter.
In front of a gorgeously decorated horse, stood a middle-aged Khitan nobleman with "left sideburns."
He had a tiger skin quiver on his waist and a bow in his hand, lost in thought.
As a national painter of the northern grasslands, Yelubei is particularly good at painting horses. The shape of the horse in the painting is the same as that of the Mongolian horse today. It has a short body, a long body and short legs, but it is very strong.
The style of this painting is delicate and elegant, which is completely different from the rough style of the murals in Khitan tombs. It shows that the painter was deeply influenced by the Han culture in the Central Plains that he longed for.
Zhao Lin's "Six Horses of Zhaoling" has no complete documentary records about the calligraphers, painters and popular works of the Jin Dynasty. However, in the poems of Jin and Yuan people, we can also get a glimpse of the calligraphy and painting style of this period. Sheng.
For example, the Jin Dynasty Zhao Bingwen's "Xianxian Lao Fu Shui Collected Works", Yuan Haowen's "Zhongzhou Collection" and "Yishan Collected Works", Hu □□ "Chaishan Collection", Tang □ "Painting Book", Xia Wenyan's "Pictures and Paintings" and other books have discussed the Jin Dynasty calligraphers and painters Ren Xun, Wang Tingyun and his son, Yang Bangji, Li Zao, Wu Yuanzhi and others and their works.
The surviving works such as Li Shan's "Picture of Fir and Pine in the Wind and Snow" show that he was greatly influenced by Guo Xi and Wang Shen.
Wu Yuanzhi's "Red Cliff Picture" uses panoramic landscapes to express the magnificent scenery of Red Cliff, which is different from the painting styles of Ma Yuan and Xia Gui in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Wang Tingyun's "Dry Bamboo and Withered Cha" is in the same vein as Su Shi's "Withered Wood, Bamboo and Stone" in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Zhang Gui's "Turtle Picture" is also similar in format to Huang Quan's "Sketch of Rare Birds" of the Five Dynasties.
Zhao Lin's "Six Horses of Zhaoling" reflects the achievements of pommel horses in the Jin Dynasty.
Zhang Gui's "Wen Ji Returns to the Han Dynasty" can also show the style of figure painting in the Jin Dynasty.
There are existing Jin Dynasty murals in Chongfu Temple in Shuo County, Shanxi and Yanshan Temple in Fanzhi, Shanxi, as well as several Jin Dynasty tomb murals discovered during archaeological excavations. It can be seen that the Jin Dynasty murals were also quite prosperous. .
The paintings of the Jin Dynasty had an important influence on the paintings of the Yuan Dynasty.
In the paintings of the Yuan Dynasty, literati paintings occupied the mainstream of the painting world.
Since there was no painting academy in the Yuan Dynasty, except for a few professional painters who directly served the court, most of them were scholar-official painters in high positions and literati painters in the opposition.
Their creations are relatively free and express their own living environment, taste and ideals.
Landscapes, dead trees, bamboos, rocks, plum orchids and other themes appeared in large numbers, while figure paintings that directly reflected social life decreased.
The work emphasizes the literary nature and the charm of pen and ink, attaches great importance to the use of calligraphy brushes in painting and the three combinations of poetry, calligraphy and painting.
In terms of creative ideas, he inherited the literati painting theory of Wen Tong, Su Shi, Mi Fu and others in the late Northern Song Dynasty, advocating the pursuit of gods in the relics, putting simplicity and ease first, pursuing ancient ideas and morale, and paying attention to subjective ideas. express.
It is very different from the deliberate pursuit of craftsmanship and emphasis on form in the courtyard paintings of the Song Dynasty. It formed a distinctive style of the times and also effectively promoted the vigorous development of literati paintings in later generations.
In just over 90 years of the Yuan Dynasty, many famous painters emerged in the field of painting, including Zhao Mengfu, Qian Xuan, Li □, Gao Kegong, Wang Yuan, etc., as well as Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, Ni Zan, etc., who are known as the four Yuan painters. Wang Meng is the most famous.
Wang Meng "Ge Zhichuan Migration Map" Ge Zhichuan, named Hong, called himself Baopuzi, was born in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and wrote "Baopuzi", "The Legend of Immortals" and other books handed down to the world.
This picture tells the story of Ge Hong, his son and nephew, who moved home to Luofu Mountain to refine elixirs.
The scroll adopts a panoramic composition, but it does not highlight a main peak like the paintings of the Song Dynasty, but emphasizes the overall momentum and atmosphere created by the numerous mountain shapes.
Except for a small area of ????water in the left corner of the picture, the rest is covered with rocks and trees, making the scenery particularly lush and luxurious, which is Wang Meng's typical style of mountains and peaks.
However, the style of this picture is different from most of his works. For example, the leaves are all filled with double hooks, the tree trunks are carefully outlined, the tree shapes are complex and changeable, and the colors are colorful, which is different from his usual paintings. Freehand or part-time writing.
The mountains and rocks are written in fine detail with a small pen, and are repeatedly rendered with ink, green, ocher and other colors. The ink and color complement each other. The cliffs are painted with axes, iron scrapers, and various cracking techniques, which are consistent with his commonly used hemp draping techniques. There is a big difference between cracking and cracking.
The depiction of the characters in the painting is concise yet exquisitely crafted, with large heads and small bodies, simple and cute.
The stream in the lower left corner of the whole painting is the brightest, highlighting the image of Ge Zhichuan.
The picture is full of rocks, dense trees, looping springs, and winding mountain paths, creating a deep, quiet and far-away place from the world, reflecting the desire of the scholars at that time for seclusion.
Painting characteristics and character representatives of the Ming Dynasty
In the early Ming Dynasty, court paintings and Zhejiang School paintings were the main ones. In the middle period, the Wumen School of Painting emerged and became the banner of the painting world. In the late Ming Dynasty, Dong Qichang was the leader of the painting world. .
Literati paintings fully occupied the painting world, which was the main development trend of Chinese painting during this period.
With the decline of the feudal dynasty, court painting also declined, and it no longer held a leading position in the painting world.
Literati painting has developed into the mainstream of Chinese painting. The traditional social role concept of painting "education and promotion of human ethics" has gradually been replaced by "pleasure and adaptability" and "interest and self-entertainment". Therefore, This gave special development to the freehand landscape, flower and bird paintings of ink and wash, while in contrast, the fine brushwork and figure paintings did not receive the attention they deserved.
Due to complex social contradictions and rapid urban economic development, regional painting schools have emerged one after another.
The emergence of batches of prostitutes and concubine painters in the late Ming Dynasty showed the talents of women under the shackles of feudalism, but it also reflected the further decadence and decline of society.
With the development of maritime transportation, the exchange of paintings between China and foreign countries was promoted.
Japanese painting monk Sesshu and others came to China to study, and Chinese painting monks also traveled east to Japan. European missionaries came to China in the late Ming Dynasty and brought Western paintings with them.
In the early Ming Dynasty, most of the palace figure paintings inherited the style of historical stories of the Southern Song Dynasty, and most of the content was related to the political needs of the dynasty.
Among the existing palace figure paintings, the themes mostly praise the virtuous ministers of the previous sages and describe the pleasures in the palace.
Important painters include: Ni Duan, courtesy name Zhongzheng, who was summoned to the palace during the Xuande period. His works include "The Picture of Engaging Pang", which describes the story of Liu Biao's invitation to Pang Degong during the Three Kingdoms period.
Shang Xi, whose courtesy name is Weiji, was awarded the command of the Jinyiwei in Xuande. His works include "Guan Yu's Capture of Generals", which depicts the story of Guan Yu's seven armies captured Pang De alive during the Three Kingdoms period.
Liu Jun, also known as Tingwei, was a conductor in the official Jinyidu. His works include "Visiting Putu on a Snowy Night", which depicts the story of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin's private visit to Zhao Pu, and promoted half of the "Analects of Confucius" to rule the world.
Xie Huan, also known as Tingxun, was the commander of Jinyiwei during the Xuande period. His works include "The Gathering of Xingyuan", which depicts a massacre by Yang Yiqing, an official at the time, and others. It is a group portrait.
Court landscape paintings mainly inherited the styles of Ma Yuan and Xia Gui of the Southern Song Dynasty, and also incorporated techniques such as Guo Xi's of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Important painters include: Li Zai, courtesy name Yi Zheng. During the Xuande period, he was favored by the emperor at the same time as Xie Huan, Shi Rui and Ni Duan, and served in the Renzhi Palace. His works include "Kuozhu Qingfeng Picture" wait.
Wang E, also known as Tingzhi, served in Renzhi Hall during the Hongzhi period. He was once praised by Xiaozong Zhu Youtang as "the Ma Yuan of today". It can be seen that his painting style is very close to that of Ma Yuan, but compared with Ma Yuan's paintings are smooth, complete and delicate, and his works include "View from the Jiang Pavilion" and so on.
Zhu Duan, courtesy name Kezheng, worked as a painter in Renzhidian during the Zhengde period, and was later taught as a Jinyi conductor. His painting style was modeled on that of Guo Xi, and his works include "View of the Yanjiang River" and so on.
In the mid-Ming Dynasty, Suzhou, as the center of the textile industry, gradually became a prosperous metropolis in the south of the Yangtze River with the development of industry and commerce.
The development of the economy promoted the prosperity of culture. At that time, people gathered together and celebrities emerged in large numbers. Literati and celebrities often gathered for banquets and sang poems and poems. Many literati and officials who traveled in the mountains and forests also entertained themselves with paintings and respected each other.
They inherited and developed the Yuan people's painting tradition that advocated the interest of pen and ink, "morale" and "elegance". Among them, Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin and Qiu Ying were the most famous, and they were called Wu in the history of painting. Four families.
The painting school they founded is called Wu School or Wu School.
Shen Zhou and Wen Zhengming are the main representatives of the Wu School style of painting.
Both of them are indifferent to official career. They are local celebrities with three talents: poetry, calligraphy and painting.
They all mainly inherited the literati painting tradition of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and were capable of several painting disciplines, but they were mainly good at landscape painting. Their works mostly described Jiangnan scenery and literati life, expressing tranquil and elegant feelings, paying attention to the taste of brushwork and ink. , pay attention to the organic combination of poetry, calligraphy and painting.
The two have similar origins and similar painting interests, but they also have their own strengths and characteristics.
Shen Zhou's landscapes are mainly painted with thick ink and light crimson. They are quiet and peaceful with a green and vigorous style. He is also good at freehand ink painting of flowers, trees and rocks. His works are mainly based on momentum.
Wen Zhengming mostly painted landscapes with fine brushstrokes, making good use of green and heavy colors. His style is meticulous and elegant, with more lyrical interest, and the orchids and bamboos are also free and clear.
Tang Yin and Qiu Ying are different from Shen Zhou and Wen Zhengming, and represent another type of Wumen sect.
Tang Yin changed from a literati to a professional painter who made a living by selling paintings. Qiu Ying was a professional painter. His creations were influenced by literati paintings to a certain extent. His techniques were comprehensive, his skills were exquisite, and his themes and interests were more suitable for urban people. requirements.
The two of them studied under Zhou Chen, and their painting techniques originated from Li Tang and Liu Songnian. They were also influenced by Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, and people from the Northern Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. They depicted objects accurately and realistically, and also paid attention to the creation and creation of artistic conception. The implication of pen and ink has an artistic effect that is both elegant and popular.
Tang Yin’s landscape paintings are mostly ink paintings, which can be divided into two styles: ① Li Tang and Liu Songnian are the masters, with a majestic and vigorous style; ② fine-stroke paintings with a round and elegant style.
The figure paintings are written from time to time. The ladies in meticulous brushwork and heavy colors inherit the tradition of the Tang and Song Dynasties, delicate and beautiful. The figures in ink and light colors are like Zhou Chen, simple and elegant.
Qiu Ying benefited from copying the famous works of his predecessors. He is precise and elegant. He is good at coloring and is famous for his green landscapes and meticulous figures.
In landscape painting in the late Ming Dynasty, the representative painter who followed the Wu School was Dong Qichang.
His art is closely related to the Wu School. In order to correct the shortcomings of the Wu School, he advocated literati painting, emphasizing imitation of ancient times, paying attention to pen and ink, pursuing "morale", and proposed the theory of Northern and Southern Sects.
Due to his prominent status as a minister of the Ministry of Rites and his reputation in the painting world, he became the leader of the painting world, and the Song Dynasty he founded replaced the Wumen School's dominance.
The painting theories he proposed, especially the Northern and Southern Schools, had a significant impact on the painting of the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Many landscape painting branches were formed in the Susong area.
These painting schools are basically the same as Dong Qichang in terms of viewpoint, theme, method, interest, etc. The only difference is that they have different emphases in imitating a certain school and the use of brush and ink.
Among the more famous painters are Mo Shilong, who co-created the Northern and Southern Sects with him, Chen Jiru and he are close friends, and Zhao Zuo often writes for him. They are all Song Dynasty generals; Gu Zhengyi The founder of the Huating School, Dong Qichang was inspired by him in his early years. Song Xu also belonged to the giant of the Huating School. Shen Shichong studied in the Song Dynasty and Jin Dynasty, and also studied under Zhao Zuo. He also wrote for Dong Qichang, and is known as the Yunjian School in the world.
In addition, late painters influenced by the Wu School include Cheng Jiasui, Li Liufang, Bian Wenyu, Shao Mi, Yang Wen and others.
Cheng Jiasui's landscapes are simple and sparse, Li Liufang is bright and elegant, Bian Wenyu is delicate and graceful, Shao Mi is simple and elegant, and Yang Wen's paintings have both dry and graceful styles.