What are the characteristics of the three major painting styles in Ming Dynasty?

Referred to as "courtyard body" and "courtyard painting", it is a kind of Chinese painting. Generally speaking, it refers to the paintings of Hanlin Painting Academy in Song Dynasty and its later court painters. There are also works specifically referring to the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy, or generally referring to non-court painters who imitate the style of the Southern Song Dynasty Painting Academy. This kind of works mainly focus on flowers and birds, landscapes, court life and religious content to meet the needs of the court. They pay attention to statutes, have both form and spirit, and have a gorgeous and delicate style. Because different times and painters have different specialties, their painting styles are different and have their own characteristics. Mr. Lu Xun said: "It is advisable to give up the tender and gentle aspects of the courtyard paintings in Song Dynasty." (On the "Use of the Old Style" in the Essays of Jieting)

In the Tang Dynasty, Zhao Xu and Sacrifice were established in China. In the Five Dynasties, painting academies were established in Xishu and Nantang. Hanlin Painting Academy was established in Song Dynasty, and excellent painters were selected to serve the imperial court. Most of the landscapes, flowers and birds, people, etc. Paintings made by painting academies in past dynasties all require pen coloring, neat and meticulous, magnificent, rigorous composition, gorgeous colors, and some are very decorative, so they are called institutional paintings.

The school of painting in China in the middle of Ming Dynasty, also known as "Wu Pai". Suzhou is the capital of the ancient kingdom of Wu, so it is called Wumen. Its main representatives, such as Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, etc., belong to Wujun, hence the name.

As early as the early Ming Dynasty before the rise of Wumen Sect, there were already a number of painters in Suzhou and Wuxi in the south of the Yangtze River, such as, Chen, Chen Xian and others. Most of them are good at poetry and have high literary accomplishment. In painting, he mainly inherited the tradition of Huang and Wang Meng in the Yuan Dynasty, and created literati paintings with pen feeling and ink interest as the main theme. Their art had a direct or indirect influence on Shen Zhou, the founder of Wu Pai, and they were the pioneers of this school. Because of the imperial court paintings and the unique Zhejiang school dominating the painting world at that time, the works of Du Qiong and others did not get wide attention from the society, and their main activity was literary creation, so they did not form their own factions.

During the reign of Xuande (1426 ~ 1435), Shen Zhou, the master of Wumen Sect, was born in Suzhou, followed by Wen Zhiming, Tang Yin and Chou Ying. They completely inherited the excellent traditions since the Song and Yuan Dynasties in art, formed their own unique style, and created a new generation of styles, which replaced the Academy and Zhejiang School and occupied the main position in the painting world, lasting 1438. In the history of painting, Shen, Wen, Tang and Qiu are known as the Four Masters of Wu Pai or Ming Sijia, and they are the representative painters of Wu Pai. Although these four painters rose in Suzhou at the same time, their styles were quite different, and each had his own teacher. Shen Zhou was influenced by his predecessors such as Du Qiong because of his family background. He mainly inherited the mantle of literati painting in Yuan Dynasty, and was good at concise, vigorous and bold rough strokes. Wen Zhiming studied under Shen Zhou and learned the painting methods of Zhao Mengfu and Wang Meng. He is famous for his meticulous, quiet, delicate and elegant meticulous painting. They mainly developed the tradition of literati painting in Yuan Dynasty, paying attention to the expression of pen and ink, emphasizing emotional color and quiet artistic conception, and pursuing a plain, natural, quiet and peaceful style. Their style of painting laid the foundation for wu school. Tang Yin is a down-and-out scholar, a student of Shen Zhou, but he also studied with Zhou Chenyi. His landscape paintings are mainly studied by Li Tang and Liu Songnian, and are properly integrated with literati painting techniques, forming artistic features of exquisite brushwork, dripping ink, preciseness and elegance. Chou Ying was a craftsman and a beginner of Zhou Chen. Later, he carefully copied the famous monuments of past dynasties, especially focusing on Liu Songnian and Zhao Boju, and was good at making exquisite green landscapes and meticulous figures. Both Tang and Qiu started from the courtyard paintings in the Southern Song Dynasty, and both pursued famous artists in the Northern Song Dynasty. They pay attention to theme and structure, real scenery and true feelings, accurate modeling, meticulous brushwork and soft and elegant style. Their art is both profitable and elegant, and is appreciated by elegant people and the public.

Wu school made outstanding achievements in landscape painting, and made a new breakthrough in Yuan Sijia or Southern Song Dynasty. Except Chou Ying, the other three people paid special attention to the organic combination of poetry, calligraphy and painting, which made this fine tradition of literati painting more perfect and popular, and strongly influenced the painting circles in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. After the formation of Wumen Sect, its sect has been handed down from generation to generation, with more than 30 students and descendants in Wen Zhiming. Among the late painters of Wumen, Chen Chun, Liu Shidao and Zhou are famous, and many of them have made new progress in some fields. For example, Chen Chun developed freehand brushwork flower-and-bird painting with ink, and Zhou Zhimian created small freehand brushwork flower-and-bird painting with hook-shaped flowers and leaves. Lu Zhi is famous for his neat and beautiful flower-and-bird paintings. In addition, Xie's meticulous landscapes, especially the sketches of figures, and Zhou's ink paintings are all unique.

Wu school also had a great influence on the important painting schools in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. Songjiang School, represented by Dong Qichang, and Susong School and School derived later, all come down in one continuous line with Wumen.

Since the Southern Song Dynasty, the economy and culture in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River have been developing continuously, and gradually occupy an advanced position in the country. Suzhou is located in the Taihu Lake basin of the Yangtze River Delta, with developed agriculture and handicrafts, convenient transportation and active commodity economy. Due to the siltation in the Yangtze River estuary, the overseas trade center moved from Yangzhou to Taicang and Songjiang in the Ming Dynasty, and the production reform first sprouted in this area. The imperial examinations flourished in the south of the Yangtze River, and the literati brought back huge amounts of money and goods to their hometowns, which contributed to the prosperity of Suzhou. With the development of Suzhou culture and art, many outstanding figures in academic thought and literature and art have emerged. Under the influence of the prosperity of writing style, bureaucratic literati have stored a large number of famous paintings, antiques and rare books, built private gardens and paid attention to food and clothing. The formation of "Wu Pai" in Suzhou in the middle of Ming Dynasty marked the heyday of literati painting.

Wu Pai is called Wu Pai for short. It is generally believed that it started in China and was established in Wen Zhiming. Together with Tang Yin and Chou Ying, it is called "Wumen Fourth Hospital" or "Ming Sijia". After the mid-Ming Dynasty, "Wu Pai" gradually replaced the status of court painting and "Zhejiang School" and reappeared in society, especially among literati.

Songjiang in the Ming Dynasty, located in the traffic hub of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, was a city with relatively developed industry and commerce in the country at that time, and literati from all over the country often passed by, and the culture and art flourished. Gu Zhengyi, Sun, Dong Qichang, Shen, Chen Jiru, Zhao Zuo, Mo Shilong, Jiang Ai and others founded the School, School and Songjiang School respectively. They are all from Songjiang area (present-day Shanghai), and their painting style mainly follows that of Dong Qichang, which is the most closely related to brush washing and light ink color. The painting viewpoints and creative ideas of these schools are basically consistent. Under the influence of Dong Qichang, the "Four Kings" school dominated the painting circle in the early Qing Dynasty. Among many painters, Dong Qichang is the only one who occupies a leading position in painting.

Songjiang School of Painting, also known as "Cloud School of Painting".

Genre characteristics

They are basically the same in aesthetic concept and painting style, pay attention to ink and wash, are quaint and charming, and are full of Jiangnan feelings. It is generally believed that this painting school has a great influence on later generations and the formation of the "sea painting school".

Representative painter

Representative figures include Dong Qichang, Mo Shilong, Chen Jiru, Cheng Jiasui, etc.

Tang Bohu, brilliant, Wuyi tour, Dongting swing;

Call him a genius, romantic, hiding in Suzhou, pretending to be crazy and selling stupidity.

Chuanhua art, reputation, solitary painting, clear meaning;

Songsheng map, majestic and powerful, pine and spring, sing together.

Tang Yin's personality is wild and uninhibited, but he is unique in painting. His brushwork is delicate and meticulous, with a chic charm. His landscape paintings mostly show majestic and steep mountains and rivers, pavilions and small bridges, beautiful mountains and rivers all the time, and also describe pavilions, gardens and literati's leisurely life. Landscape figure painting is magnificent, slightly beautiful and unique, with rich and diverse themes. Figure painting mostly describes the life and historical stories of ancient and modern ladies.