Ming dynasty painting
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During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Chinese painting progressed further basing on the achievements in painted art during the earlier Song dynasty and Yuan dynasty. The painting techniques which were invented and developed before the Ming period became classical during this period. More colours were used in painting during the Ming dynasty. Seal brown became much more widely used, and even over-used during this period. Many new painting skills or techniques were innovated and developed, calligraphy was much more closely and perfectly combined with the art of painting. Chinese painting reached another climax in the mid and late Ming. The painting was derived in a broad scale, many new schools were born, and many outstanding masters emerged.
Development
[edit]Early Ming period
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e6/Dai_Jin_-_The_Hermit_Xu_You_Resting_by_a_Stream_-_1974.45_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tiff/lossy-page1-150px-Dai_Jin_-_The_Hermit_Xu_You_Resting_by_a_Stream_-_1974.45_-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tiff.jpg)
About 1368–1505, from the Hongwu era (
The painting schools of the Yuan dynasty still remained in the early Ming period but quickly declined or changed their styles. The painting styles which were developed and matured during the Yuan period, still heavily influenced the early Ming painting. But new schools of painting were born and grew. Zhe School and the school which was supported by the royal court (Yuanti School) were the dominant schools during the early Ming period. The scholar-artist style of painting (Renwen Painting, in Chinese:
Mid Ming period
[edit]About 1465–1566, from the Chenghua era (
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c2/T%27ang_Yin_003.jpg/240px-T%27ang_Yin_003.jpg)
Classical Zhe School and Yuanti School declined. Wu School became the most dominant school nationwide. Suzhou, the activity center for Wu School painters, became the biggest center for the Chinese painting during this period.
The Wu painters they mainly inherited the tradition of Yuan scholar-artist style of painting (Renwen painting,
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/10/Pien_Wen-chi_001.jpg/200px-Pien_Wen-chi_001.jpg)
Xu Wei (
Chen Chun (
Late Ming period
[edit]About 1567–1644, from the Jiajing era (
Songjiang School and Huating School were born and developed, they formed the rudiments of the later Shanghai School.
Schools and painters
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/42/%E6%98%8E_%E4%BD%9A%E5%90%8D_%E9%B3%A5%E8%B2%A9%E5%9C%96_%E8%BB%B8-Bird_peddler_MET_DT271148.jpg/220px-%E6%98%8E_%E4%BD%9A%E5%90%8D_%E9%B3%A5%E8%B2%A9%E5%9C%96_%E8%BB%B8-Bird_peddler_MET_DT271148.jpg)
- Zhejiang School of Painting (浙派, full name in Chinese:
浙江 畫 派 )- Jiangxia School (
江夏 畫 派 ) - Wulin School or Post-Zhejiang School (
武林 畫 派 , or後 浙派)
- Jiangxia School (
Dai Jin (戴進), Wu Wei (
The core place for this school was Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. Jiangxia School from Hubei Province was a branch of this school. Dai Jin was the founder of this school, and he also kept a very close relationship with the Yuanti School.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Peach_Festival_of_the_Queen_Mother_of_the_West%2C_17th_century.jpg/350px-Peach_Festival_of_the_Queen_Mother_of_the_West%2C_17th_century.jpg)
Lan Ying was the last master of this school, along with his family members, they formed a branch of Zhejiang School—Wulin School, because their family was located in Wulin (
Most of the painters from this school, they are Zhejiang natives.
- Yuanti School (
院 體 畫 派 )
This school was organized and supported by the Ming central government, and it served for Ming royal court. The activity center for this school first was in Nanjing and then went to Beijing because of the change of Ming's capital. The
- Wumen School (
吳 門 畫 派 )
Tang Yin (
The primary location for this school was Suzhou, whose literary name was Wumen (
- Xieyi Huaniao (
寫 意 花鳥 )
- Xieyi Shangshui (
寫 意 山水 )
Chen chun (
- Songjiang School (
松江 畫 派 )
The core place for this school was in the southern part of Jiangsu Province at that time, but now part of Shanghai. During the late Ming dynasty, the Songjiang School rivaled Wumen, particularly in generating new theories of painting.[1]
- Huating School (
華 亭 畫 派 )
Zhao Zuo (
This school is close to Songjiang School.
- Susong School (
蘇 松 畫 派 )
This school is similar to Songjiang School.
Influence
[edit]Japan
[edit]![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cf/SesshuToyo.jpg/150px-SesshuToyo.jpg)
The Japanese Zen monk painter Sesshū Tōyō (Japanese:
He resided in Tiantong Temple (Chinese:
After returning to Japan, Sesshū Tōyō set up his school and further developed his own style of painting (
Qing painting
[edit]Ming painting provided the basis for early Qing painting, from skills, style, subjects and theoretical basis. The concept of Northern and Southern Schools, developed by Dong Qichang in the late Ming period, influenced the more academic formal painters, such as Wang Yuanqi[2] well as providing an inspiration for daring originality for the "Individualist" painters, such as Kun Can and Shitao.[3]
See also
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Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Edmund Capon and Mae Anna Pang, Chinese Paintings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, Catalogue, 1981, International Cultural Corporation of Australia Ltd.
External links
[edit]- Chinese Civilization: Ming Dynasty painting Video on The China Times
- Famous Ming Dynasty Painters and Galleries at China Online Museum
- The wilderness colors of Tao-chi, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on this important Ming Dynasty painter