Chinese Painters

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2008-10-09T04:36:00.000-07:00

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Yuan Jiang

2008-09-07T19:33:00.006-07:00

Yuan Jiang ; was a during the Qing Dynasty . His specific years of birth and death are not known.

Yuan was born in Yangzhou in the Jiangsu province . He was part of an artistic family, his nephew Yuan Yao was also landscape painter. Yuan painted landscapes and garrets, as well as bird-and-flower paintings and paintings of beasts. His landscapes and garrets contained accurate composition and minute detail that were suitable for construction.

Ye Xin

2008-09-07T19:33:00.005-07:00

Yè Xīn ; was a during the Qing Dynasty . His specific years of birth and death are not known.

Ye was born in Huating in the Jiangsu province, and later moved to Nanjing . His style name was 'Rongmu'. Ye primarily painted landscapes.

Yao Tingmei

2008-09-07T19:33:00.003-07:00

Yao Tingmei ; was a during the Yuan Dynasty . His specific dates of birth and death are not known.

Yao was born in Huzhou in the Zhejiang province . Yao's paintings of landscapes utilized profound and skilled strokes which following the style of Guo Xi.

Yang Jin

2008-09-07T19:33:00.001-07:00

Yang Jin ; ca. was a painter during the Qing Dynasty .

Yang was born in Changshu in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Zi He' and his sobriquet was 'Xi Ting'. Yang's paintings were meticulous and exquisite, in the style of Wang Hui.

Yang Weizhen

2008-09-07T19:32:00.008-07:00

Yáng Wéizhēn ; ca. was a and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty .

Yang was born in the Zhejiang province . His style name was 'Lianfu' and his sobriquet was 'Tieya'. Yang's reputation for calligraphy was well known, incorporating a purity and strength into his works.

Yan Liben

2008-09-07T19:32:00.007-07:00

Yan Liben , formally Baron Wenzhen of Boling , was a and government official of the early Tang Dynasty. His notable works include the ''Thirteen Emperors Scroll'' and ''Northern Qi Scholars Collating Classic Texts''. He also painted the Portraits at Lingyan Pavilion, under Emperor Taizong of Tang, commissioned in 643 to commemorate 24 of the greatest contributors to Emperor Taizong's reign, as well as 18 portraits commemorating the 18 great scholars who served Emperor Taizong when he was the Prince of Qin. Yan's paintings included painted portraits of various Chinese emperors from the Han Dynasty up until the Sui Dynasty period. His works were highly regarded by the Tang writers Zhu Jingxuan and Zhang Yanyuan, who noted his paintings were "works among the glories of all times".

From the years 669 to 673, Yan Liben also served as a under Emperor Taizong's son .

Background

It is not known when Yan Liben was born. His ancestors were originally from Mayi , but had relocated to the Guanzhong region several generations prior to Yan Liben. Yan Liben's father Yan Pi was the deputy director of palace affairs during Sui Dynasty, and both Yan Liben and his older brother Yan Lide were known for their abilities in architectural matters and service to the imperial government in that area.

During Emperor Taizong's reign

It was said that while Yan Liben was skilled in public work projects, he became particularly known for his artistic skills. It was for this reason that , the second emperor of Tang Dynasty, commissioned Yan to paint portraits to commemorate the 24 great contributors to his reign at and the 18 great scholars who served under him when he was the Prince of Qin.

Although the Chinese aristocracy counted painting as one of their accepted pasфtimes, the profession of the painter was not a highly venerated vocation. On one occasion, when Emperor Taizong was rowing a boat with his attendant scholars at the imperial pond, there were birds flying by. Emperor Taizong had the scholars write poems to praise the scene and then summoned Yan to paint a portrait of the scene. Yan was at the time already a mid-level official in the administration, but when he summoned Yan, the imperial attendants called out, "Summon the imperial painter, Yan Liben!" When Yan heard the order, he became ashamed for being known only as the painter, and he commented to his son, "I had studied well when I was young, and it was fortunate of me to have avoided being turned away from official service and to be known for my abilities. However, now I am only known for my painting skills, and I end up serving like a servant. This is shameful. Do not learn this skill." However, as he still favored painting, he continued to do so even after this incident.

During Emperor Gaozong's reign

During the ''Xianqing'' era of the reign of Emperor Taizong's son , Yan Liben served as the imperial architect. He later succeeded his brother Yan Lide as the minister of public works . Around the new year 669, he became acting ''You Xiang'' -- the head of the examination bureau of government and a post considered one for a , and Emperor Gaozong created him the Baron of Boling. As Yan's fellow chancellor Jiang Ke was promoted to the chancellor post at the same time due to his battlefield achievements, a semi-derogatory couplet was written around the time stating, "The ''Zuo Xiang'' established his power over the desert, and the ''You Xiang'' established his fame over a canvass." In 670, Yan became officially the head of the legislative bureau, now with the title changed to ''Zhongshu Ling'' . He died in 673.

Gallery

Modern

*Fong, Mary H. "Tang Tomb Murals Reviewed in the Light of Tang Texts on Painting," ''Artibus Asiae'' : 35–72.

Ancient

* ''Book of Tang'', vol. 77.
* ''New Book of Tang'', vol. 100.
* ''Zizhi Tongjian'', vols. , .

Yan Hui

2008-09-07T19:32:00.005-07:00

Yan Hui ; was a painter during the Yuan Dynasty . His specific dates of birth and death are not known.

Yan was born in Ji'an in the Jiangxi province . His style name was 'Qiu Yue'. Yan primarily painted human and ghost figures. His style incorporated profound brush strokes with special composition.

Xu Xi (painter)

2008-09-07T19:32:00.003-07:00

Xu Xi is a Chinese Painters

Xu Wei

2008-09-07T19:32:00.001-07:00

Xu Wei was a Chinese painter, poet and dramatist famed for his artistic expressiveness. Revolutionary for its time, his painting style influenced and inspired countless subsequent painters, such as Zhu Da, the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, and the modern masters Wu Changshuo and Qi Baishi, who once exclaimed in a poem that "How I wish to be born 300 years earlier so I could grind ink and prepare paper for Green Vine " . Xu Wei can be considered as the founder of modern painting in China. His influence continues to exert itself. Despite his posthumous recognition, Xu was manifestly mentally ill and unsuccessful in life, ending his life in poverty after the murder of his third wife and several attempts at suicide.

His courtesy names were Wenqing and then Wenchang . His various pen names were ''The Mountain-man of the Heavenly Pond'' , ''Resident of the Green Vine House'' and ''The Water and Moon of the Bureau's Farm'' . Born in Shanying district , Xu was raised by a single mother who died when he was 14. At 21, he married Pan-shi , who died five years later. Xu attempted to pass the civil service examinations eight times, although he never succeeded. Nevertheless, Xu was employed by General Hu Zongxian , Supreme Commander of the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Fujian coastal defense against the ''wokou'' Japanese pirates.

After General Hu was arrested and lost his position Xu Wei also feared a negative fate for himself. Xu became mentally distraught at this juncture, attempting to commit suicide nine times, such as by axeing himself in the skull and drilling both of his ears. His mental imbalance no doubt led to his killing of his wife Zhang-shi after becoming paranoid that she was having an affair. For his murder, he was jailed for seven years until his friend Zhang Yuanbian from the Hanlin Imperial Academy managed to free him at age of 53. It is possible Xu Wei suffered from Bipolar Disorder, a condition actually recognized in China at this time. Xu spent the rest of his life painting, but with little financial success. However, his paintings have been highly sought after in modern times.

In addition Xu was a relatively unknown playwright, authoring the following four plays: ''The Heroine Mulan Goes to War in Her Father's Place'' : describes Hua Mulan, ''A Female Degree Holder'' : ''The Adventures of the Intelligent Huang Chongjia'' , ''The History of the Mad Drum'' : crimes of Cao Cao, and ''A Zen Master's Dream of the Land of Green Jade'' : a Buddhist story. Interestingly, Xu's dramatic efforts often deal with women's themes and Xu can be regarded as something of an early women's rights advocate.

Xu Wei was also a poet in ''shi'' style of considerable note. Xu's collected works in 30 chapters exists with a commentary by the late Ming writer Yuan Hongdao. Yuan Hongdao and the others of his literary movement were undoubtedly influenced by the writings of Xu. Of the various arts Xu Wei practised, he held his calligraphy in highest esteem. Next was his poetry.
A modern typeset edition of Xu Wei's collected works, ''Xu Wei ji'', was published by the Zhonghua Publishing House in Beijing in 1983. Previously a 1600s edition of his collected works known as the ''Xu Wenchang sanji'' was reproduced in Taiwan in 1968. In 1990 a book length study of Xu Wei by Xu Wei can be seen as the quintessential “scholar in cotton clothes” or ''buyi wenren'', a scholar who could not pass the civil service examination, yet became active in the realm of literature and cultural achievement. Many such individuals appeared in the late 1500s and early 1600s and attached themselves to successful officials or became independent in late Ming China.

GRAPES

From the first of summer until this morning,

No mind to do anything, given all up.

From the old days still have my worn out brush;

Take some ink and dot myself grapes.

SONGS OF PEKING IN THE FIFTH MONTH

The pomegranate blossoms set the streets on fire;

Curling branches and buds like heavy clouds.

The people all around couldn’t buy enough;

What’s left used for dye, to crimson girls’ skirts.

Don’t worry about anything that happens in Peking;

Just fret in the heat from the gutters by the road.

Today I heard they cleaned them out;

Needn’t hold my nose when passing downwind.

A PALACE LADY ENTERS THE DAOIST RELIGIOUS ORDER

In the palace ranks, mixed splendor with self denial;

Became old and sought a sage, as the sun began to set.

Didn’t face the autumn wind, filled with resentment,

When no longer asked to take up the lute.

Morning made rain of lust in the emperor’s bed;

Evening wove mists for holy men.

Heard she’s on Gou Mountain free and untroubled;

Now who does she talk with, about the monarch’s favors?

NEW YEAR’S DAY

Yesterday is only today,

And last year is this year.

The circle’s perfection never breaks;

When water is cut you needn’t join it.

I grab the calendar and burn it;

Go back to the house, another one there.

Hate the plum trees and the willows;

Spring, they are young and beautiful again.

Additional Works

Zhang Wo

2008-09-07T19:31:00.006-07:00

Zhang Wo , courtesy name as Shuhou, sobriquet as Zhenqisheng and Jianghaike, is a famed Chinese painter in Yuan Dynasty.

Xu Gu

2008-09-07T19:31:00.005-07:00

Xū Gǔ ; ca. was a painter and poet during the Qing Dynasty .

Xu was born in Xin'an in the Anhui province, and later lived in Guangling in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Xugu' and his sobriquet was 'Ziyang Shanren'. Xu was an army official, and then later a monk. When painting he used the side of the brush in a fluent and bold style. In poetry he produced the work ''Poetry of Xugu monk''.

Zhang Shuqi

2008-09-07T19:31:00.003-07:00

Zhāng Shūqí was a painter from Zhejiang noted for painting flowers and birds. He studied at Shanghai under Liu Haisu. For a time he taught at the National Center University. From 1942 to 1946 he lived in the United States. After that he returned to China for a time, but ultimately settled in the US.

His works are held in the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, the Ashmolean Museum and Stanford University.

Zhang Sengyao

2008-09-07T19:31:00.001-07:00

Zhang Sengyao was a famous Chinese painter in Liang Dynasty Wudi's years. His birth and death years are unknown. He was a native Wuzhong .

Zhang Shunzi

2008-09-07T19:30:00.004-07:00

Zhang Shunzi , a native Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, is a famed Chinese painter in Yuan Dynasty. His courtesy name was Shikui, and sobriquet Lishan. His birth and death years are unknown.

Zhang Lu (painter)

2008-09-07T19:30:00.003-07:00

Zhang Lu ; ca. was a during the Ming Dynasty .

Zhang was born in Kaifeng in the Henan province . Zhang painted landscapes and human figures in a free and uninhibited style.

Zhang Daqian

2008-09-07T19:30:00.001-07:00

Chang Dai-chien was one of the best-known artists of the twentieth century. He is also regarded by many art experts as one of the most gifted master of the twentieth century. Born in a family of artists in Sichuan, China, he studied textile dyeing techniques in Kyoto, Japan and returned to establish a successful career selling his paintings in Shanghai. A staunch supporter of the Kuomintang, he left China in 1948 and moved to Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil, and then to Carmel, California, before finally settling in Taipei, Taiwan.

A meeting between Chang and Picasso in 1956 was viewed as a summit meeting between the preeminent masters of Eastern and Western art. Picasso showed Chang some drawings done in "Chinese" style, but Chang remarked that they were not executed with the right tools and gave Picasso a set of Chinese brushes.

Zhan Ziqian

2008-09-07T19:29:00.008-07:00

Zhan Ziqian was a great of ancient China, and from Yangxin county , Shandong province. His birth and death dates are unknown. It is known that in the Sui dynasty he was appointed to the office of Chaosan Dafu and later of Zhangnei Dudu .

According to the historical documents, he painted a number of genres and religion paintings which have not survived. The only painting by him that survives today is ''Strolling About in Spring'', which is a perspective arrangement of mountains.

Zeng Jing

2008-09-07T19:29:00.007-07:00

Zeng Jing ; ca. 1568-1650 was a painter during the Ming Dynasty .

Zeng was born in Putian in the Fujian province . He lived and worked in Nanjing, painting using light and shade. The style was distinctive enough that it became known as "Bochen Style", after Zeng's style name 'Bochen'.

Yu Zhiding

2008-09-07T19:29:00.005-07:00

Yu Zhiding ; ca. was a during the Qing Dynasty .

Yu was born in in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Shangji' and his sobriquet was 'Shenzai'. Yu was taught by Lan Ying, and painted landscapes, human figures, and bird-and-flower paintings.

Yuan Yao (painter)

2008-09-07T19:29:00.003-07:00

Yuan Yao ; was a during the Qing Dynasty . His specific years of birth and death are not known.

Yuan was born in Yangzhou in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'ZhaoDao'. Yuan primarily painted landscapes.

Zhao Zuo

2008-09-07T19:29:00.001-07:00

Zhao Zuo , a native Huating , is a noted Chinese painter in Ming Dynasty. His birth and death years are unknown.

Zhao Zhiqian

2008-09-07T19:28:00.007-07:00

Zhao Zhiqian is a renowned Chinese calligrapher and painter in Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Yuan

2008-09-07T19:28:00.005-07:00

Zhao Yuan is a noted Chinese painter in late and early Dynasty. His birth and death years are unknown.

Zhao Yong

2008-09-07T19:28:00.003-07:00

Zhao Yong , courtesy name as Zhongmu, is a noted Chinese painter in Yuan Dynasty. A native Huzhou , he was the second son of Zhao Mengfu.

Zhao Mengfu

2008-09-07T19:28:00.001-07:00

Zhao Mengfu courtesy name Ziang , pseudonyms Songxue , Oubo , and Shuijing-gong Dao-ren , was a prince and descendant of the Song Dynasty, and a scholar, and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty.

He was married to Guan Daosheng, who was also an accomplished poet, painter and calligrapher. His rejection of the refined, gentle brushwork of his era in favour of the cruder style of the eighth century is considered to have brought about a revolution that created the modern Chinese landscape painting. He was known for his paintings of horses. His landscapes are also considered to be done in a style that focuses more on a literal laying of ground. Rather than organizing them in a foreground, middle ground, and background pattern he layers middle grounds at various heights to create a sense of depth. This pattern of organization makes his paintings appear very simple and approachable. It was this characteristic that so many people valued about his style.

Zhang Zongcang

2008-09-07T19:27:00.006-07:00

Zhang Zongcang , courtesy name as Mocun, is a famed Chinese painter in Qing Dynasty. He was a native Suzhou, Jiangsu Province.

Zhang Zeduan

2008-09-07T19:27:00.005-07:00

Zhang Zeduan , alias Zheng Dao, was a famous Chinese painter during the twelfth century, during the transitional period from the Northern Song to the Southern Song Dynasty.

Biography

He was a native of Dongwu . There is evidence that he was a court painter of the Northern Song Dynasty, and that in the aftermath of that dynasty's fall, his paintings were criticisms of the new dynasty. Most of what is known about Zhang Zeduan's life comes from a written in 1186 by a man named Zhang Zhu.

Zhang Zeduan's most famous painting is ''Along the River During Qing Ming Festival'', a wide handscroll which depicts life in a city. This painting was made famous throughout China, as an emperor of the Yuan Dynasty felt compelled to write a poem on his copy of the painting, writing in praise of it. A popular remake of the painting was made in the 18th century, during the Qing Dynasty.

Historical significance

In terms of historical significance, Zhang's original painting reveals much about life in China during the 12th century. Its myriad depictions of different people interacting with one another reveals the nuances of class structure and the many hardships of urban life as well. It also displays accurate depictions of technological practices found in Song China. For example, it depicts one river ship lowering its bipod mast before passing under the prominent bridge of the painting. It shows ships in two major types, yet all of which have slung rudders for steering; the painting depicts freighters with narrow sterns or passenger boats and smaller craft with broad sterns, sailing upriver or docked along the banks while loading and unloading goods. Large stern sweeps and bow sweeps can be seen on at least three of the river ships, worked by up to eight men each.

Zhang Yin (painter)

2008-09-07T19:27:00.003-07:00

Zhang Yin was a famed calligrapher and painter of Qing Dynasty China. A native Dantu , he belonged to the Dantu School.

Zhang Yan (painter)

2008-09-07T19:27:00.001-07:00

Zhang Yan , courtesy name as Bomei, sobriquet as Wuzheng Daoren, is a Chinese painter in Ming Dynasty, active in 16th and 17th centuries.

Zhang Xuan

2008-09-07T19:26:00.007-07:00

Zhang Xuan was a Chinese painter who lived during the Tang Dynasty .

Although he painted many pieces of art, he was best known for the painting ''Court Ladies Preparing Newly-Woven Silk'', of which no copy survives except a copy painted by Emperor Huizong of Song in the early 12th century. He also painted ''Spring Outing of the Tang Court'', of which

Xie Sun

2008-09-07T19:26:00.005-07:00

Xie Sun ; was a during the Qing Dynasty . His specific years of birth and death are not known.

Xie was born in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Yaoling'. Xie painted primarily landscapes and bird-and-flower paintings.

Zou Yigui

2008-09-07T19:26:00.003-07:00

Zou Yigui , courtesy name as Xiaoshan, sobriquet as Wubao and Erzhi, is a famed Chinese painter in Qing Dynasty. He was a native Wuxi, Jiangsu Province.

Zou Zhe

2008-09-07T19:26:00.001-07:00

Zou Zhe , a native Wuxian, Jiangsu Province, was a noted Chinese painter in Qing Dynasty. He was one of "Eight Masters in Jinling".

Zhu Derun

2008-09-07T19:25:00.006-07:00

Zhu Derun , Zemin by style name, Suiyang Shanren by sobriquet, was a Chinese painter and poet in Yuan Dynasty. He was a native of Suiyang , Henan Province, and later lived in Suzhou. He used to be the editor at the national academy of history, and also served as academic director in Zhendong Province, and supervisor in Jiangzhe Province.

He excelled in calligraphy, following the styles of Zhao Mengfu and Wang Xizhi, utilizing strong and bold brushstrokes. He was also an expert of landscape painting, and inherited the techniques of Xu Daoning and Guo Xi. His paintings typically boasted distant mountains, sturdy peaks and robust trees. The mountain stones were depicted by cirrus-cloud brushstrokes, and the branches of trees simulated crab claws, with realistic beauty. Preserved works include "Pavilion of Elegant Plain" , "Playing Lyre under the Trees" , "Boating on the Pine Creek" and etc.

He was renowned for his poems too. Most of his works portrayed landscapes and items. Some accused the unjust society, such as "People were not born villains. The oppressive government coerced them into crimes." He authored "Collected Works of Cunfu Studio", 10 columns plus one supplement.

Bada Shanren

2008-09-07T19:25:00.005-07:00

Bada Shanren , born as Zhu Da , was a of shuimohua and a calligrapher. He was of noble lineage, being a descendant of the Ming dynasty prince Zhu Quan.

A child prodigy, he began painting and writing poetry in his early childhood. About the year 1658, when the Ming emperor committed suicide and a rebel army attacked Beijing, the young man sought refuge in a Buddhist temple and became a monk. As a loyal subject of the Ming, he was heart broken and refused to speak to anyone: he only laughs and cries . He was a leading painter of the period.

His paintings feature sharp brush strokes which are attributed to the sideways manner by which he held his brush. In the 1930s, Chinese painter Zhang Daqian produced several forgeries of Bada Shanren's works. But, they are easily spotted by the trained eye, because the modern copies were softer and rounder. Yale University scholar, Wang Fangyu, was a major collector of Bada Shanren paintings from the 1960s until his death in 1997.

Bibliography

Zhou Zhimian

2008-09-07T19:25:00.003-07:00

Zhou Zhimian , courtesy name as Fuqin, sobriquet as Shaogu, is a noted Chinese painter in Ming Dynasty. His birth and death years are unknown. He was a native Changshu, Jiangsu Province.

Zhou Wenjing

2008-09-07T19:25:00.001-07:00

Zhou Wenjing , a native Hexian , was a famed Chinese painter in Ming Dynasty. His birth and death dates are unknown.

Zhou Shuxi

2008-09-07T19:24:00.005-07:00

Zhou Shuxi is a female Chinese painter in Qing Dynasty. She was a native Jiang Yin, Jiangsu Province, and the second daughter of Zhou Rongqi. Her sobriquet was Jiangshang nvshi.

Zhou Fang

2008-09-07T19:24:00.003-07:00

Zhou Fang was one of two influential painters during the mid-Tang dynasty. He was also known as ''Zhou Jing Xuan'' and ''Zhong Lang''. Zhou lived in the Tang capital of Chang'an, which is now modern Xi'an, during the 8th century. He came from a noble background and this was reflected in his works, which included ''簪花仕女图'', translated as ''Court Ladies Adorning Their Hair with Flowers''. He was influenced by the pure and detailed style of Gu Kai-zhi and Lu tan-wei from the Six Dynasties in his work. The late Tang dynasty art critic Zhu Jing Xuan said: "Zhou Fang's Buddha, celestial beings, figures, and paintings of beautiful women are all incredible masterpieces."

Zhou Chen

2008-09-07T19:24:00.001-07:00

Zhou Chen is a famed Chinese painter in middle Ming Dynasty. Born in 1460. He died in Zhizong Jiajing 14th year . He had two very famed students, Tang Yin and Qiu Ying.

Wu Shixian

2008-09-07T19:23:00.001-07:00

Wu Shixian ; ca. was a during the Qing Dynasty . His specific year of birth is unknown.

Wu was born in Nanjing in the Jiangsu province, and later lived in Shanghai and Japan . His style name was 'Shixian' and his sobriquet was 'splash-ink monk'. Wu specialized in painting foggy and rainy landscapes.

Wu Wei (painter)

2008-09-07T19:22:00.003-07:00

Wu Wei ; ca. 1459-1508 was a during the Ming Dynasty .

Wu was born in Wuchang in the Hubei province . His style names were 'Shiying and Ciweng' and his sobriquets were 'Lufu and Xiaoxian'. Wu painted landscapes and human figures in a strong, fluent, and uninhibited style, and took on many students to teach.

Wu Zhen

2008-09-07T19:22:00.001-07:00

Wu Zhen was a painter during the Yuan dynasty of China. He followed the Dong Yuan school of painting. Following along with trends of the time, Wu's works tended less toward naturalism and more toward abstraction, focusing on dynamic balance of elements, and personifying nature. His painting ''The Central Mountain,'' dated 1336, is perhaps his greatest work and shows his style very clearly. It is a symmetrical image, with one large mountain in its center and others to each side. The mountains have rounded tops, and in fact all of Wu's lines in this painting are smooth, curved and flowing. The painting is a reinterpretation of traditional landscape paintings as it brings abstract style and brushwork to landscape, primarily to create a work focused on balance.

Wu Zuoren

2008-09-07T19:21:00.006-07:00

Wu Zuoren was a traditional Chinese painter. A native of Jing County, Anhui, he was born in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. He practiced both traditional Chinese ink painting and European oil painting.

Curriculum Vitae

*1908: Wu Zuoren is born in Suzhou, Jiangsu, China.

*1927: Wu Zuoren studies in the department of fine arts at Shanghai Art University where his ability is recognized by Xu Beihong. Later, he transfers to the department of fine arts at Nanguo Academy of Arts.

*1928: Wu Zuoren follows Xu Beihong to study at the National Central University .

*1930 - 1935: Wu Zuoren travels abroad to study in Europe. He returns to China in 1935.

*1939: Wu Zuoren's first wife, Li Na, a Belgian national, dies at an early age when they are at Central University, due to postpartum depression complicated by the bombardment of Chongqing by Japanese war planes.

*1949: With the establishement of the PROC, Wu Zuoren joins The Chinese Artists Association.

*1949-1953: Wu Zuoren becomes a professor and the first provost of China Central Academy of Fine Arts. He beomes the vice principal, principal, and finally, an honorary principal of that school.

*1953: Wu Zuoren is elected Vice-President of The Chinese Artists Association in 1953.

*1954: Wu Zuoren becomes a permanent member of the National People's Congress in 1954.

*1958: Wu Zuoren becomes The Director of the Central Academy of Beaux-Arts.

*1963: Wu Zuoren sets out to change the face of China when presented with the opportunity to design a three postage stamps for the PROC. Known for his ink paintings of yaks and camels in western China Wu Zuoren's ''Giant Panda'' stamps first issued in 1963 establish the Giant Panda as the emblem of the new China. A second series of six ''Giant Panda'' stamps by Wu Zouren was issued in 1973, and a more elaborate ''Giant Panda'' edition based on his ink paintings produced in 1985.

For the remainder of his life, Wu Zuoren remains a prominent member of the central committee of the China Democratic League, Chairman of the Chinese Artists Association, and a member of the standing committee of the National People's Congress. Wu Zuoren's second wife, Xiao Shufang, was an artist known for her flower paintings. Wu Zuoren founded and endowed "Wu Zuoren International Foundation of Fine Arts".

*1997: Wu Zuoren dies in Beijing.

Xi Gang

2008-09-07T19:21:00.005-07:00

Xi Gang is a renowned calligrapher and painter in Qing Dynasty. He was born as Gang, courtesy name as Tiesheng or Chunzhang, sobriquet as Luokan, Dieyezi, Hezhusheng, Mengquan Waishi, Meng Daoshi, Xi Daoshi, Sanmu Jushi, or Donghua Anshu.

Xia Chang

2008-09-07T19:21:00.003-07:00

Xià Chǎng ; ca. 1388-1470 was a painter during the Ming Dynasty .

Xia specialized in ink bamboo painting, following the style of Wang Fu. His style name was 'Zhongzhao' and his sobriquets were 'Yufeng and Zizai jushi'.

Xiang Shengmo

2008-09-07T19:21:00.001-07:00

Xiang Shengmo , a native Xiushui , Zhejiang Province, is a noted Chinese painter in Qing Dynasty.

Xiao Yuncong

2008-09-07T19:20:00.006-07:00

Xiao Yuncong , courtesy name as Chimu, sobriquet as Mosi, Wumen Daoren, and Zhongshan Laoren, is a famed Chinese painter in late and early Dynasty.

Xie Huan

2008-09-07T19:20:00.005-07:00

Xie Huan was a Chinese painter of the early Ming Dynasty. He is best known for his painting of domestic settings, story-theme artwork, and landscape paintings.

The famous Chinese painter Shen Zhou admired his artwork, and collected art pieces by Xie Huan.

Gallery

Xie Shichen

2008-09-07T19:20:00.003-07:00

Xiè Shíchén ; ca. was a during the Ming Dynasty . His specific date of death is not known.

Xie was born in Suzhou in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Sizhong' and his sobriquet was 'Chuxian'. Xie's landscapes followed the style of Guo Xi and Shen Zhou.

Wang Zhenpeng (painter)

2008-09-07T19:20:00.001-07:00

Wang Zhenpeng is a Chinese Painters

Wen Jia

2008-09-07T19:19:00.003-07:00

Wen Jia ; ca. 1501-1583 was a painter of s and flowers during the Ming Dynasty .

Wen was born in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Xiu Cheng' and his sobriquet was 'Wen Shui'. Wen came from a family of painters. He was the second son of Wen Zhenming, and his brother Wen Peng became a painter as well.

Wen Tong

2008-09-07T19:19:00.001-07:00

Wen Tong was a famous for his ink bamboo pantings. He was one of the paragons of "scholar's painting" , which idealised spontaneity and painting without financial reward.

He could hold two brushes in one hand and paint two different distanced bamboos simultaneously. He did not need to see the bamboo while he painted them because he had seen a lot of them. One Chinese idiom from him goes "there are whole bamboos in his heart" , meaning that one has a well-thought-out plan in his mind.

Wen Zhengming

2008-09-07T19:18:00.005-07:00

Wen Zhengming was a leading Ming Dynasty , calligrapher, and scholar.

Born in present-day Suzhou, he claimed to be a descendant of the Song Dynasty prime minister and patriot Wen Tianxiang. Wen’s family was originally from , where his family had established itself shortly after the 10th century. Not until the time of Wen's great-grandfather, Wen Hui, a military officer, did the family move to the Suzhou area.

Wen often chose painting subjects of great simplicity, like a single tree or rock. His work often brings about a feeling of strength through isolation, which often reflected his discontent with official life. Many of his works also celebrate the contexts of elite social life for which they were created. He collaborated in the design of the Humble Administrator's Garden, generally considered one of China's four greatest gardens.

Wu Daozi

2008-09-07T19:18:00.003-07:00

Wu Daozi or Wu Tao-tzu was a artist of the Tang Dynasty, famous for initiating new in his artwork.

The myth follows the creation by Wu Daozi of a mural commissioned by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang China. The mural on the wall of the palace was a rich nature scene set in a valley, containing a stunning array of flora and fauna.

Wu Daozi had gone further and painted a door on the side of a mountain. The story goes that he clapped his hands and entered the door, inviting the Emperor to come and see - sadly the door shut and he was lost forever.

Bibliography

* Sven Lindqvist, ''The Myth of Wu Tao-tzu''

Wu Guanzhong

2008-09-07T19:18:00.001-07:00

Wu Guanzhong is one of the best known contemporary painters of Chinese origin. Wu has painted various aspects of China including much of its architecture, plants, animals, people, as well as many of its landscapes and waterscapes in a style reminiscent of the impressionist painters of the early 1900s.
He has published collections of essays and dozens of painting albums.
His paintings were exhibited at the British Museum in 1992, which was a first for a living Chinese artist.

Wu was born in Yixing, Jiangsu Province, in 1919. In 1936 he enrolled at the National Arts Academy of Hangzhou, studying both Chinese and Western painting under Pan Tianshou and Lin Fengmian . In 1947 Wu travelled to Paris to study at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts on a government scholarship. He has told of his admiration for Utrillo, Braque, Matisse, Gauguin, Cézanne and Picasso, and especially for Van Gogh, to whose grave he has made pilgrimage.

Wu introduced aspects of Western art to his students at the Central Academy of Art in Beijing. The Academy was known to have been dominated by social realism and Wu was called "a fortress of bourgeois formalism". Refusing to conform to political dogma, he was transferred from one academy to another. At the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, he was banned from painting, writing and teaching, and in 1970 was sent to Hebei province for hard labour.

Wu's paintings have the colour sense and formal principles of Western paintings, but a spirit and tonal variations of ink that are typically Chinese. Natural scenery is reduced to its essentials - simple but powerful abstract forms.
Wu Guangzhong has had solo exhibitions in major art galleries and museums around the world, including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Taipei, Korea, England and the USA.

Early in his career Guanzhong adopted the pen name Tu, which he uses to sign his work.

His work is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Biography

1919 Born in Yixing county, Jiangsu Province, China
1942 Graduated from National Arts Academy, Hangzhou
1946 - 50 Studied oil painting at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris

1950 - 53 Lecturer at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing
1953 - 55 Associate Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing
1956 - 64 Associate Professor and Director of Teaching and Research at the
Beijing Fine Arts Normal College

1964 - 79 Professor at the Central Institute of Arts and Crafts, Beijing
1979 Elected director of Standing Committee, Chinese Artists' Association
1981 Elected member of National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
1991 Received the honour "Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" from the French Ministry of Culture
1992 Exhibition "Wu Guanzhong: A Twentieth-Century Chinese Painter" at the British Museum, London

Wu Hong

2008-09-07T19:17:00.006-07:00

Wú Hóng ; was a during the Qing Dynasty . His specific years of birth and death are not known.

Wu was born in the Jiangxi province . His style name was 'Yuandu'. Wu specialized in painting landcsapes and ink bamboo works.

Wu Li

2008-09-07T19:17:00.005-07:00

Wú Lì ; ca. 1632-1718 was a and poet during the Qing Dynasty .

Wu was born in Changsu in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Yu Shan' and his sobriquet was 'Mojing Daoren'. Wu was taught poetry by Qian Qianyi, painting by Wang Shimin and Wang Jian, and was influenced by the painters Huang Gongwang and Wang Meng. His landscapes utilized dry brush strokes and light colors. His distinctive style elevated him to where he is now identified as one of the Six Masters of the early Qing period.

Wang Mian

2008-09-07T19:17:00.003-07:00

Wáng Miǎn ; ca. was a painter of plums during the Yuan Dynasty .

Wang was born in Zhuji the Zhejiang province . His style name was 'Yaunzhang' and his sobriquets were 'Zhushi shannong, Fan niuweng, Kuaiji waishi, and Meihua wuzhu'. Wang developed his own distinct style of painting plum blossoms that was very bold and vigorous. He edited the "Manual of Plum" to describe his experiences of plum-painting.

Wang Meng (artist)

2008-09-07T19:17:00.001-07:00

Wang Meng during the Yuan dynasty. He was born in Huzhou , now known as Wuxing , Zhejiang.

: Shūmíng 叔明

: Xiāngguāng Jūshì 香光居士

Wang Meng is considered to be one of the four great masters of the Yuan Dynasty, along with Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and Ni Zan. They famously refused to serve the Mongolian rulers of their country. Works on silk by them are virtually unknown, an indication of the importance they gave to the touch of the brush on paper. They exclusively painted landscapes, which they believed to be the visible key to the invisible reality. They restricted their acquaintenceship to each other, and like-minded "wen ren" .

Wang Meng was the youngest of the group, and the least famous in his own time. Nevertheless, his style greatly influenced later Chinese Painting. In contrast to the relatively spare style of his compatriots, his ropy brushstrokes piled one on the other to produce masses of texture combined in dense and involved patterns.

Many artists copied the works of Wáng Méng centuries after his death, most notably Dong Qichang.

His most famous works are ''Forest Grotto at Juqu'' and ''Dwelling in the Qingbian Mountains''.

Wang Qiucen (artist)

2008-09-07T19:16:00.004-07:00

Wang Qiucen is Chinese Painters

Wang Shimin

2008-09-07T19:16:00.003-07:00

Wáng Shímǐn ; ca. 1592-1680 was a during the Ch'ing Dynasty .

Born in the Kiangsu province, Wang grew up in an artistic, scholarly environment. His grandfather was a prime minister in the late Ming dynasty, and his father as a Hanlin Academy editor for the court, who had studied with Tung Ch'i-ch'ang. After learning painting and calligraphy at a young age, Wang worked as a government official. However he fell ill due to exhaustion on a trip to Nanking in 1630. Wang returned to his homeland, and immersed himself in art and created numerous works. Wang's works place him in an elevated group known as the Four Wangs, also part of the Six Masters of the early Qing period.

Wang painted ''After Wang Wei's "Snow Over Rivers and Mountains"'', which can be viewed at the National Palace Museum, Taipei.

Wang Wei (8th century poet)

2008-09-07T19:16:00.001-07:00

Wang Wei , sometimes titled the ''Poet Buddha'', was a Tang Dynasty , musician, and statesman.

From a high family, he passed the in 721 and had a successful civil service career, rising to become in 758. During the An Lushan Rebellion he avoided actively serving the insurgents during the capital's occupation by pretending to be .

He spent ten years studying with Chán master Daoguang. After his wife's death in 730, he did not remarry and established a monastery on part of his estate.

He is best known for his quatrains depicting quiet scenes of water and mist, with few details and little human presence. The ''Indiana Companion'' comments that he affirms the world's beauty, while questioning its ultimate reality. It also draws a comparison between the deceptive simplicity of his works and the ''Chan'' path to , which is built on careful preparation but is achieved without conscious effort.

None of his original paintings survive, but copies of works attributed to him are also s with similar qualities. He influenced what became known as the of Chinese landscape art, which was characterised by strong brushstrokes contrasted with light ink washes.

Wang Wei's most famous poetry, such as the poem "Deer Park," form a group titled Wang River Collection. They record a poet's journey, ostensibly that of Wang Wei and his close friend, Pei Di. They are far more universal than a simple journey and have inspired generations of poets since, including recent adaptations such as Pain Not Bread's ''Introduction to the Introduction to Wang Wei'' , Barry Gifford's ''Replies to Wang Wei'' and Gary Blankenship's ''A River Transformed'' .

Eliot Weinberger and Octavio Paz's ''19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei'' is an essay concerning more than 19 translations of Wang Wei's "Deer Park."

One of Wang Wei's poems, called ''Weicheng Qu'' or "Song of the City of Wei" has been adapted to the famous music melody, ''Yangguan Sandie'' or "Three Refrains on the Yang Pass". The most famous version of this melody is that of the guqin, which Wang Wei probably played.

Wang-Wei's poetry, in translation, formed the inspiration for the final ''Der Abschied'' movement of the Austrian composer Gustav Mahler's penultimate completed work, ''Das Lied von der Erde''.

Poetry sample

:《竹里館》 "Hut in the Bamboos"

:"Sitting alone, in the hush of the bamboo;
:I thrum my zither, and whistle lingering notes.

:In the secrecy of the wood, no one can hear;
:Only the clear moon, comes to shine on me."

Wang Wu (painter)

2008-09-07T19:15:00.005-07:00

Wáng Wǔ ; ca. 1632-1690 was a painter and poet during the Qing Dynasty .

Wang was born in in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Qingzhong' and his sobriquets were 'Xuedian daoren and Wang'an'. Wang specialized in bird-and-flower painting, using a brilliant and minute style.

Wang Yi (painter)

2008-09-07T19:15:00.003-07:00

Wang Yi ; ca. was a painter of human figures during the Yuan Dynasty . His specific date of death is unknown.

Wang was born in the Zhejiang province . His style name was 'Sishan' and his sobriquet was 'Chi Juesheng'. Wang's developed his own distinct style of painting human figures that demonstrated good shape and spirit. He edited the "The Secrets of Painting human figures" to describe his experiences of human figure painting.

Wang Yuan (painter)

2008-09-07T19:15:00.001-07:00

Wang Yuan ; was a during the Yuan Dynasty . His specific dates of birth and death are not known.

Wang was born in Hangzhou in the Zhejiang province . His style name was 'Ruoshui' and his sobriquet was 'Danxuan'. Wang's teachers were Guo Xi for landscapes, Huang Quan for bird-and-flower paintings, and Tang Ren for human figures. He utilized a minute and brilliant style in all his works.

Wang Ximeng

2008-09-07T19:14:00.000-07:00

Wang Ximeng is a Chinese Painters

Tang Di

2008-09-07T19:13:00.006-07:00

Tang Di ; ca. 1287-1355 was a during the Yuan Dynasty .

Born in the Chekiang province, Tang Di's poetry and painting were celebrated by the local aristocracy while he ws still a young artist. He initially studied the landscape style of Chao Meng-fu. He later also turned to the styles of Wei Yen, Li Ch'eng, and Kuo Hsi. In 1338, Tang Di painted ''Fishermen Returning on a Frosty Bank''.

Tang Yifen

2008-09-07T19:13:00.005-07:00

Tang Yifen ; ca. 1778-1853 was a and calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty .

Tang was born in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Ruoyi' and his sobriquets were 'Yusheng, Qing-ying monk and Zhouweng'. Tang painted both landscapes and ink plums in a style of great sensitivity, much in the same manner as Dai Xi. He also did calligraphy, especially .

Tang Yin

2008-09-07T19:13:00.003-07:00

Tang Yin , better known by his courtesy name Tang Bohu , was a scholar, , calligraphist, and poet of the Ming Dynasty period whose life story has become a part of popular lore.

Early life

Tang Yin was born into the merchant class of Suzhou, where his father was a restaurateur, and although lacking social standing, he received an excellent education. He was a brilliant student and became the protégé of Wen Lin , the father of Wen Zhengming. His friends in Suzhou’s scholarly circles included Shen Zhou, Wu Kuan and Zhu Yunming. In 1498 Tang Yin came first in the provincial examinations in Nanjing, the second stage in the civil service examination ladder. The following year he went to Beijing to sit the national examinations, but he and his friend Xu Jing were accused of bribing the servant of one of the chief examiners to give them the examination questions in advance. All parties were jailed, and Tang Yin returned to Suzhou in disgrace, his justifiably high hopes for a distinguished civil service career dashed forever.

Wade-Giles romanization T'ang Yin, also called Tang Bohu Chinese scholar, painter, and poet of the Ming period whose life story has become a part of popular lore.
Tang was a pupil of the great Shen Zhou, a friend of Wen Zhengming, and was aided by the latter's father, Wen Lin. Tang came from a mercantile background and excelled in his studies. He was accused, perhaps unfairly, of cheating in the provincial examinations that would have guaranteed him the security of a government sinecure and comfort for the cultivation of scholarly pursuits. Denied further official progress, he pursued a life of pleasure and earned a living by selling his paintings. That mode of living brought him into disrepute with a later generation of artist-critics who felt that financial independence was vital to enable an artist to follow his own style and inspiration. While Tang is associated with paintings of feminine beauty, his paintings otherwise exhibit the same variety and expression of his peers and reveal a man of both artistic skill and profound insight.

Wang Duo

2008-09-07T19:13:00.001-07:00

Wang Duo , is a well-known Chinese calligrapher and painter in Ming Dynasty. His courtesy name was Juesi or Juezhi, and sobriquet Songqiao or Chi'an, or Yantan Yusou.

Wang E

2008-09-07T19:12:00.004-07:00

Wang E was a landscape painter who studied under Xiao Feng. Later he served the Hongzhi Emperor who praised him as the of his day. The two paintings of his that can be definitively dated were for Japanese envoys. He later retired to teaching and died at age 80.

Web sources

Wang Fu (painter)

2008-09-07T19:12:00.003-07:00

Wáng Fú ; ca. 1362-1416 was a , calligrapher , and poet during the Ming Dynasty .

Wang was born in Wuxi in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Mengduan' and his sobriquets were 'Youshi, Jiulong shanren, and Aoshou'. Wang's painting followed the style of Wang Meng and Ni Zan. Wang also painted ink bamboo works in a free and uninhibited style.

Wang Guxiang

2008-09-07T19:12:00.001-07:00

Wang Guxiang ; ca. 1501-1568 was a during the Ming Dynasty .

Wang was born in Changzhou in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Luzhi' and his sobriquet was 'Youshi'. Wang specialized in landscapes and paintings.

Wang Hui (Qing Dynasty)

2008-09-07T19:10:00.003-07:00

Wang Hui was a painter, the best known of the Four Wangs. He, and the three other Wangs, dominated orthodox art in China through out the late and early Qing periods.
Of the Four Wangs, Wang Hui is considered to be the best-known today.

Biography

Wang Hui followed in the footprints of his great grandfathers, grandfather, father and uncles and learned painting at a very early age. He was later taught by two contemporary masters, Zhang Ke and Wang Shimin, who taught him to work in the tradition of copying famous Chinese paintings. This is most likely the reason why critics claim that his work is conservative and reflects the Yuan and Song traditions. One critic claimed that "his landscape paintings reflect his nostalgic attachment to classical Chinese aesthetics." Along with the other Wangs, Wang Hui helped to perpetuate the tradition of copying the ancient masters rather than creating original work.

Gallery

Wang Jian (Ming)

2008-09-07T19:10:00.001-07:00

Wáng Jiàn ; ca. 1598-1677 was a during the Qing Dynasty .

Wang was born in Taicang in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Xuanzhao' and his sobriquets were 'Xiangbi and Ranxiang anzhu'. Wang's precise color style of painting was influenced by Dong Yuan. His own works stand out, and he is a member of the Four Wangs and Six Masters of the early Qing period.

Wang Lu

2008-09-07T19:09:00.005-07:00

Wáng Lǚ ; ca. was a , calligrapher, and poet during the Ming Dynasty . His specific date of death is unknown.

Wang was born in Kunshan in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Andao' and his sobriquets were 'Jishou and Baodu laoren'. Wang's painting followed the style of Xia Gui. Some of his works included:
* ''Album Leaf Paintings of HuaShan''
* ''Shu Hui Album'' - twenty-one pieces
* ''Yi Yun Tong'' - one hundred volumes

Shen Shichong

2008-09-07T19:09:00.003-07:00

Shen Shichong ; ca. was a during the Ming Dynasty . His dates of birth and death are unknown.

Chen was born in Huating in the Shanghai province . His style name was 'Zhong Chun' and his sobriquet was 'Mi Gong'. Chen's painting had a clear and interesting style.

Shen Zhou

2008-09-07T19:09:00.001-07:00

Shen Zhou , courtesy name Qinan , was a Chinese painter in Ming Dynasty.

Life

Shen Zhou was born into a wealthy family in Xiangcheng, near the thriving city of Suzhou, in the Jiangsu province, China. His genealogy traces his family’s wealth to the late Yuan period, but only as far as Shen’s paternal great-grandfather, Shen Liang-ch’en, who became a wealthy landowner following the dissolution of Mongol rule. After the collapse of the Yuan and the emergence of the new Ming dynasty, the position of tax collector was assigned to the head of the Shen family, under the Hongwu emperor’s new ''lijia'' system. This steadily and amply increased the family’s wealth, while freeing Shen Liang-ch’en’s male descendants from obligatory careers as Ming officials, and allowing them to live the majority of their lives as retired scholar-artists. Upon the death of his father, Shen Heng-chi, Shen Zhou decided to forgo official examinations and devote his life to the care of his widowed mother, Chang Su-wan. It is probable that he never intended to become an official, but refrained from making this obvious until his father had died. He thus renounced the life of official service while still preserving his reputation in an enduring act of filial piety. In this way, he was able to live a reclusive life, free of responsibility , and devote his time to artwork, socializing, and monastic contemplation of the natural world around him.

Cultural and Historical Context

Shen Zhou lived at a pivotal point in the history of Chinese painting, and contributed greatly to the artistic tradition of China, founding the new Wu School in Suzhou. Under the Yuan dynasty , painters had practiced with relative freedom, cultivating a more “individualist,” innovative approach to art that deviated noticeably from the more superficial style of the Song masters who preceded them. However, at the outset of the Ming, the Hongwu emperor decided to import the existing master painters to his court in Nanjing, where he had the ability to cultivate their styles to conform to the paintings of the Song masters. As Hongwu was notorious for his attempts to marginalize and persecute the scholar class, this was seen as an attempt to banish the gentry’s influence from the arts. The dominant style of the Ming court painters was called the Zhe School. However, following the ascension of the Yongle emperor , the capital was moved from Nanjing to Beijing, putting a large distance between imperial influence and the city of Suzhou. These new conditions led to the rise of the Wu School of painting, a somewhat subversive style that revived the ideal of the inspired scholar-painter in Ming China.

Work

Shen Zhou’s scholarly upbringing and artistic training had instilled in him a reverence for China’s historical tradition that influenced both his life and his art from an early age. He was accomplished in history and the classics, and his paintings reveal a disciplined obedience to the styles of the Yuan dynasty, to China’s history, and to the orthodox Confucianism that he embodied in his filial life. He is most famous for his landscapes and for his “boneless” renderings of flowers, which are meticulously created in the style of the Yuan masters. However, he did not always paint within strict boundaries. His inherited prosperity afforded him the luxury of painting independently of patrons, and he did so in a way that, while revealing his historical influence, was uniquely his own. Shen possessed a large collection of paintings from the late Yuan and early Ming, which he and his scholar-painter colleagues used as models in forging the revivalist approach of the Wu style. He frequently combined experimental elements with the more rigid styles of the Yuan masters. Much of his work was done in collaboration with others, combining painting, poetry, and calligraphy at gatherings with his literati friends. It was upon these ideals that his Wu School was founded. For Wu painters, painting was a meditation, rather than an occupation. Shen Zhou never coveted his paintings, although they were frequently coveted and imitated by others. Through Shen Zhou’s eyes, a painting was not a commodity, but the very extension of the painter himself.

The majority of his remaining pieces are on display in the Hong Kong Museum of Art.

Sources

*Cahill, James. Parting at the Shore: Chinese Painting of the Early and Middle Ming Dynasty, 1368-1580. New York: Weatherhill, 1978.
*Edwards, Richard. The Field of Stones: A Study of the Art of Shen Chou . Baltimore: Port City Press, 1962, xvi.
*Edwards, Richard. “Shen Chou and the Scholarly Tradition.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, Vol. 24, No. 1 Oriental Aesthetics , 45-52.
*Liscomb, Kathlyn. “Shen Chou’s Collection of Early Ming Paintings and the Origins of the Wu School’s Eclectic Revivalism.” Artibus Asiae vol. 52, No. 3/4 ,215-254.
*Shan, Guoqiang, . ''Encyclopedia of China'', 1st ed.

Sheng Mao

2008-09-07T19:08:00.004-07:00

Shèng Mào ; was a during the Yuan Dynasty . His specific dates of birth and death are not known.

Sheng was born in Jiaxing the Zhejiang province . He was taught by Chen Lin, and later by Zhao Mengfu. Sheng's paintings of landscape and human figures utilized a delicate style with beautiful colors.

Sheng Maoye

2008-09-07T19:08:00.003-07:00

Sheng Maoye ; was a during the Ming Dynasty . His specific dates of birth and death are unknown.

Sheng was born in Suzhou in the Jiangsu province . His sobriquet was 'Nian An'. Sheng's landscapes have a foggy and spacious atmosphere.

Shitao

2008-09-07T19:08:00.001-07:00

Yuanji Shih T'ao, born Zhu Ruoji was a artist.

Born in Quanzhou County in Guangxi province, Shih T'ao was a member of the royal house. He narrowly avoided catastrophe in 1644 when the Ming dynasty fell to invading Manchurians and civil rebellion. Having escaped by chance from the fate to which his lineage would have assigned him, Shih T'ao assumed the name Yuanji Shih T'ao no later than 1651 when he became a Buddhist monk.

He moved from Wuchang, where he began his religious instruction, to Anhui in the 1660s. Throughout the 1680s he lived in Nanjing and Yangzhou, and in 1690 he moved to Beijing to find patronage for his promotion within the monastic system. Frustrated by his failure to find a patron, Shih T'ao converted to Daoism in 1693 and returned to Yangzhou where he remained until his death in 1707.

Art

Shih T'ao is one of the most famous individualist painters of the early Qing dynasty. The art he created was revolutionary in its transgressions of the rigidly codified techniques and styles that dictated what was considered beautiful. Imitation was valued over innovation, and although Shih T'ao was clearly influenced by his predecessors , his art breaks with theirs in several new and fascinating ways.

His formal innovations in depiction include drawing attention to the act of painting itself through his use of washes and bold, impressionistic brushstrokes, as well as an interest in subjective perspective and the use of negative or white space to suggest distance.Shih T'ao's stylistic innovations are difficult to place in the context of the period. In a dated 1686, Shih ao wrote: "In painting, there are the Southern and the Northern schools, and in calligraphy, the methods of the Two Wangs . Zhang Rong once remarked, 'I regret not that I do not share the Two Wangs' methods, but that the Two Wangs did not share my methods.' If someone asks whether I follow the Southern or the Northern School, or whether either school follows me, I hold my belly laughing and reply, 'I always use my own method!'"

The poetry and calligraphy that accompany his landscapes are just as beautiful, irreverent, and vivid as the paintings they compliment. His paintings exemplify the internal contradictions and tensions of the literati or scholar-amateur artist, and they have been interpreted as an invective against art-historical canonization.

"10,000 Ugly Ink Dots" is a perfect example of Shih T'ao's subversive and ironic aesthetic principles. This uniquely apperceptive work challenges accepted standards of beauty. As the carefully painted landscape degenerates into Pollock-esque splatters, the viewer is forced to recognize that the painting is not transparent in the way it initially purports to be. Solely because they are labeled "ugly," the ink dots begin to take on a sort of abstract beauty.

"Reminiscences of Qin-Huai" is another of Shih T'ao's unique paintings. Like many of the paintings from the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty it deals with man's place in nature. Upon a first viewing, however, the craggy peak in this painting seems somewhat distorted. What makes this painting so unique is that it appears to depict the mountain bowing. A monk stands placidly on a boat that floats along the , staring up in admiration at the genuflecting stone giant. The economy of respect that circulates between man and nature is explored here in a sophisticated style reminiscent of surrealism or magical realism, and bordering on the absurd. Shih T'ao himself had visited the river and the surrounding region in the 1680s, but it is unknown whether the album that contains this painting depicts specific places. Re-presentation itself is the only way the feeling of mutual respect that Shih T'ao depicts in this painting could be communicated; the subject of a personified mountain simply defies anything simpler.

Gallery

Song Maojin

2008-09-07T19:07:00.008-07:00

Song Maojin ; was a during the Ming Dynasty . His specific dates of birth and death are unknown.

Song was born in the Songjiang province . His style name was 'Mingzhi'. Song studied under Song Xu, and his reputation for landscapes rivaled Zhao Zuo and Liu Jue.

Song Xu

2008-09-07T19:07:00.007-07:00

Song Xu , was a . His courtesy name was Chuyang and pen name was Shimen . Song eventually became a Buddhist priest and adopted various religious names. He was according to some sources from Jixing in Zhejiang province, but according to others from Huzhou in Zhejiang Province. Song was and extremely well read and well versed individual who was greatly influenced by Zen teaching. He was an expert landscapist, but also excelled at human figures. During the late 16th century, he traveled throughout China. A 1543 scroll shows his study of the painter Xia Gui. He is said to have studied the works of the master artist Shen Zhou. Song's eccentric paintings are often characterized by inscriptions in characters of an archaic style. An extant painting of Buddhist Arhats bears a date of 1605. Other works show a still active painter at eighty-one. Song Xu was an artist that was largely individualistic and independent, working for the most part outside the major painting schools of his age.

Sun Junze

2008-09-07T19:07:00.005-07:00

Sun Junze was a famed Chinese painter in Yuan Dynasty. His birth and death years are unknown. His style had a direct influence on the formation of Zhejiang School in the following Ming Dynasty.

Sun Kehong

2008-09-07T19:07:00.003-07:00

Sūn Kèhóng ; ca. 1533-1611 was a , calligrapher, and poet during the Ming Dynasty .

Sun was born in Huating in the Shanghai province . His style name was 'Yunzhi' and his sobriquet was 'Xueju'. Sun's painting followed the style of Shen Zhou and Lu Zhi. Sun used colorful and minute techniques in his earlier works, then later used a more terse and free style. In addition to landscapes Sun painted and bamboo and stone works.

Sun Long

2008-09-07T19:07:00.001-07:00

Sūn Lóng ; was a during the Ming Dynasty . His specific dates of birth and death are not known.

Sun was born in Changzhou in the Jiangsu province . Sun painted landscapes, but also was well known for his plum, locust, and grass paintings.

Qian Du

2008-09-07T19:06:00.006-07:00

Qian Du ; ca. 1764-1844 was a during the Qing Dynasty .

Qian was born in the Zhejiang province . His style name was 'Shumei' and his sobriquets were 'Songhu, Songhu Xiaoyin and Hegong'. Qian painted landscapes in a style influenced by Wang Meng. He also painted human figures and flowers.

Qian Gu

2008-09-07T19:06:00.005-07:00

Qian Gu ; ca. was a during the Ming Dynasty . His date of death is unknown.

Qian was born in Changzhou in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Shubao' and his sobriquet was 'Qingshi'. Qian's painting used a soft but firm style. Qian often used subjects found in his observations around the south of the Yangzi River.

Qian Xuan

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Qián Xuǎn was a Song loyalist painter from Zhejiang. He started as an aspiring scholar-official during the . He had difficulty climbing the ranks of officialdom and when the Mongol Yuan took over China in 1276 he effectively gave up on the idea. Although in 1286 his friend Zhao Mengfu accepted a position and so for a time it seemed he could as well, but he refused on patriotic grounds. Although to avoid difficulties he cited old age.

His life after 1276 was devoted to painting and he became noted as a "fur and feathers" painter. He is also known for landscapes displaying that hinted at a longing for a return of native Chinese rule, like in the work ''Home Again.'' He mixed Song realism with an archaic Tang style.

Qiu Ying

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Qiu Ying was a who specialized in the ''gongbi'' brush technique.

He was born to a peasant family, and studied painting at the Wu School in Suzhou. Though the Wu School encouraged painting in ink washes, Qiu Ying also painted in the green-and-blue style. He painted with the support of wealthy patrons, creating images of flowers, gardens, religious subjects, and landscapes in the fashions of the Ming Dynasty. He incorporated different techniques into his paintings, and acquired a few wealthy patrons. His talent and versatility allowed him to become regarded as one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming Dynasty.

Three of his best patrons were art collectors. One was Chen Guan from Suzhou. The other two were both younger than Qiu: Zhou Fenglai , from nearby Kunshan, and the well-known wealthy collector Xiang Yuanbian, whose home was in Jiaxing in Zhejiang Province.

Qu Qianmei

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Qu Qianmei is a Chinese Painters

Ren Renfa

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Ren Renfa , courtesy name Zi Ming, pseudonym Yueshan Daoren , was an expert of irrigation works, artist, and a government official. He was born in Songjiang .

Ren drew some outstanding paintings of horses, people, flowers and birds. Ren's style is similar to the artists of the Tang Dynasty and Li Gongling in Song Dynasty . His paintings of horses are comparable to those by Zhao Mengfu.

Chu Yu Tu

A prominent work of his is ''Chu Yu Tu'' ; on silk, with color, height 32.4 cm, width 201.9 cm, currently in a collection of The Palace Museum, Beijing.

In this painting, three officials of the royal stables are leading four horses out the stable. The painting has a very explicit style. The people in the painting are dressed in Tang style costumes. All these reflect that the artist admired the culture of Tang Dynasty. The people and horses are spread out in the painting, which is a main characteristic of paintings by Ren.

At the end of the painting , there are some words about the artist and the year of painting. "ZhiYuan GengCheng ChunWang San Ri , Zuo ChuYu Tu Yu KeShi Tang , YueShan REN ZiMing Ji ". There is a poem written by the Emperor of QianLong , who also wrote some handwritings in the middle of the painting. This is one of the earliest works of Ren , and was drawn in 1280 when he was 27.

Ren Xun

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Rèn Xūn ; ca. 1835-1893 was a painter during the Qing Dynasty .

Ren was born in Xiaoshan in the Zhejiang province . Ren came from a family of artists, his brother was Ren Xiong. His paintings were primarily of human figures, done in the style of Chen Hongshou.

Ren Yi

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Rèn Yí was a painter and son of a rice merchant who supplemented his income by doing portraits. He was born in Zhejiang, but after the death of his father in 1855 he lived in Shanghai. This move placed him in a more urban world that was exposed to Western thinking. In Shanghai he became a member of the Shanghai School which fused popular and traditional styles. He is also sometimes referred to as one of the "Four Rens."

He was noted for his bold brushstrokes and use of color. In his earlier career the Song Dynasty painters influenced him, but later on he favored a freer style influenced by the works of Zhu Da.

Sources

*Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford Oxford ISBN 1854441329
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Shao Mi

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Shao Mi ; ca. 1592-1642 was a , calligrapher, and poet during the Ming Dynasty .

Shao was born in Shanghai in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Sengmi' and his sobriquets were 'Guachou and Fentuo jushi '. Shao's landscapes have a pure and plain taste featuring highly detailed bamboo inks.

Shen Quan

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Shěn Quán ; ca. 1682-1760 was a painter during the Qing Dynasty .

Shen was born in Deqing in the Zhejiang province . His style name was 'Nanping' and his sobriquet was 'Hengzai'. Shen specialized in bird-and-flower painting, and was influenced by Bian Jingzhao and Lu Ji. His works were painted in a very realistic style, and he had many students and patrons.

Ma Yuanyu

2008-09-07T19:02:00.001-07:00

Ma Yuanyu ; ca. 1669-1722 was a painter during the Qing Dynasty .

Ma was born in Changshu in the Jiangsu province . His style name was 'Fuxi' and his sobriquets were 'Xixia and Tianyu shanren'. Ma was taught by Yun Shouping, and specialized in Bird-and-flower painting.

Mei Qing

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Méi Qīng was a , calligrapher, and poet during the Qing Dynasty.

Mei was born in Xuancheng, Anhui Province. His style name was 'Yuangong' and his sobriquet was 'Qushan'. Mei was taught by Wang Meng. His landscape paintings were based on his many travels to the .

His works on poetry include: ''Tian Yan Garret Collection'' and ''Mei Shi Anthology''.