Ming Dynasty painting
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In Ming Dynasty, Chinese painting developed greatly from the achievements in painted art during the earlier Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty. The painting techniques which were invented and developed before Ming period became kinds of classical during this period. More colours are used in painting during Ming Dynasty. Seal brown became much more widely used and even over used during this period. Many new painting skills/techniques were inovated and developed, calligraphy was much more closely and perfectly combined with the painting art. The Chinese painting reached another climax in the mid, late Ming Dynasty. The painting was derived in a broad scale, much more new schools were born, and many outstanding masters came out.
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[edit] Development
Early Ming period
About 1368~1505, from the Hongwu Era (洪武) to Hongzhi Era (弘治).
The painting schools of Yuan Dynasty stil remained in the early Ming period but quickly declined or changed their styles. The painting styles which were developed and matured during Yuan period, still heavily impact on the early Ming painting. But new schools of painting was born and grew. Zhejiang School (or Zhe School for short) 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: 人文画) became more popular. Both these two new schools were heavily influenced by the traditions of both the Southern Song painting academy and the Yuan scholar-artist.
Mid Ming period
About 1465~1566, from the Chenghua Era (成化) to Jiajing Era (嘉靖).
Classical Zhejiang School and Yuanti School declined. Wumen School became the most dominant school nationwidely. Suzhou, the activity center for Wumen School painters, became the biggest center for the Chinese painting during this period.
The Wumen painters they mainly inherited the tradition of Yuan scholar-artist style of painting (Renwen painting, 人文畫) and further developed this style into a peak. Wumen School was a large group of people, including teacher-student relationship (e.g. Shen Zhou was the teacher of Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming and so on) and family relationship (e.g. Wen family, including painters Wen Zhengming, Wen Jia (文嘉), Wen Boren (文伯仁) and so on).
Xu Wei (徐渭) from Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, he developed a lot the enjoyable style of Chinese painting (Xieyi painting, 寫意畫), especially the geart enjoyable style (Daxieyi, 大寫意). As a outstanding scholar, his accomplishments are mainly in the field of scholar-artist painting, especially in the Hua-niao painting (flower-bird painting, 花鳥畫).
Chen Chun (陳淳), although he followed the teaching from Wumen School of painting during his early years, he set up his own style in Shan-shuin painting (landscape painting, 山水畫); he formally indroduced the enjoyable style into the Chinese landscape painting, and had his own innovation in ink and wash painting, especially in his long suit -- the landscape painting.
Late Ming period
About 1567~1644, from the Jiajing Era (嘉靖) to Chongzhen Era (崇祯).
Songjiang School and Huating School were born and developed, they formed rudiment of laterly coming Shanghai School.
[edit] Schools & Painters
- Zhejiang School of Painting (浙派, full name in Chinese: 浙江画派)
- Jiangxia School (江夏画派)
- Wulin School or Post-Zhejiang School(武林画派, or 后浙派)
Dai Jin (戴进), Wu Wei (吴伟), Lan Ying (蓝瑛) (Lan family)
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.
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 (武林), a place in Hangzhou near the West Lake.
Most of the painters from this school, they are Zhejiang natives.
- Yuanti School (院体画派)
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 (吴门画派)
Tang Yin (唐寅), Wen Zhengming (文征明), Shen Zhou (沈周), Qiu Ying (仇英), Zhou Chen (周臣), Wen Jia (文嘉)
The core place for this school was Suzhou, whose literary name was Wumen (吴门). Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, Shenzhou and Qiu Ying, these four painters also were regarded as the "Big Four of the Ming Period" in Ming's painting.
- Xieyi Huaniao (写意花鸟)
- Xieyi Shangshui (写意山水)
Chen chun (陈淳)
- Songjiang School (松江画派)
The core place for this school was in the southern part of Jiangsu Province at that time, but now part of Shanghai.
- Huating School (华亭画派)
Zhao Zuo (赵左)
This school is close to Songjiang School.
- Susong School (苏松画派)
This school is similar to Songjiang School.
[edit] Influence
Influence in Japan
The Japanese Zen monk painter Sesshū Tōyō (Japanese: 雪舟等楊) travelled to Ming China, and stayed for about 10 years in Ming China learning painting. He was heavily influenced by the ink and wash painting, Zhejiang School of painting and the Yuanti School of painting.
He resided in Tiantong Temple (Chinese: 天童寺) in Mingzhou (明州, now Ningbo), and also spent time in Beijing in the royal palace (Forbidden City). Before he went to Ming China, he studied Song and Yuan styles of painting (Chinese/Japanese: 宋元山水畫派) in Japan, and wanted to seek for the very origin of the Chinese painting and the real spirit inside of the Chinese art.
After returning Japan, Sesshū Tōyō set up his school and further developed his own style of painting (漢畫派), a style mixed with the Japanese native traditional elements, and became the biggest master of painting in his era in Japan, and healily impacted continuously on the later Japanese history till now.
Influence in Qing Dynasty painting
No doubt, the Ming Dynasty painting made the basis for the Qing Dynasty painting, from skill to style.
