How the unique personal style of the literati painters of the Yuan Dynasty was reflected in their brushwork

Famous painters during the Yuan Dynasty and their works

Zhu De: (1294-1365 AD) Yuan painter. His courtesy name was Zemin, his nickname was Suiyang Sanren, and he was a native of Suiyang (now Shangqiu, Henan Province). Officials were promoted to Confucianism. He is good at painting landscapes, learning from Li Cheng and Guo Xi, and incorporating richness into his paintings. In his later years, his brushwork became stronger and his demeanor became more striking. Good at calligraphy and poetry. He is the author of "Sequel to Cun Fuzhai". The representative work "Picture of Music in the Forest"

Zhao Yong: a Yuan painter from 1289 to 1360 AD. The courtesy name is Zhongmu, a native of Huzhou, Zhejiang. The second son of Zhao Mengfu, he used his father's influence to serve as an official. When he was an official, he collected talents and treated them. He also knew Huzhou Road and was in charge of government affairs. Inherited from family studies, he is good at painting figures, landscapes, and horses. His landscape paintings are based on Dong Yuan and Li Cheng, while Anma's paintings are in the style of the Tang Dynasty, and he is good at poetry and calligraphy. His representative work is the coloring of "Orchid and Bamboo"

Wang Meng: (?～1385) a Chinese painter of the Yuan Dynasty. His courtesy name is Shuming, his nickname is Huangheshan Qiao and Xiangguang layman. A native of Wuxing (now Huzhou, Zhejiang). Zhao Meng's grandson, once served as a minor official. He abandoned his official position in the late Yuan Dynasty to avoid chaos and lived in seclusion in Huanghe Mountain. In the early Ming Dynasty, he was appointed as the magistrate of Tai'an. He was imprisoned for the Hu Weiyong case and later died in prison. He is good at poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and is good at landscape painting. In his early years, he learned from Zhao Mengfu, and later he interacted with Huang Gongwang and Ni Zan. He studied Dong Yuan and Ju Ran deeply, and he was able to learn from nature and form his own personal style. He uses official calligraphy and cursive brushwork to paint the landscapes. He makes good use of dry brush and dry ink to paint the mountains and rocks. He also uses a rope to remove the cracks and a small ax to chop the cracks. The composition is dense and full, with more than ten layers of rocks and dozens of trees. Complex but not crowded, numerous but not chaotic, with rich layers and a strong sense of space, it successfully expresses the moistness of the Jiangnan landscape. The artistic conception is lush and beautiful, and the pictures are rich and colorful. There are "Residence in Qingbian Picture", "Reading in Spring Mountain", "Residence in Summer Mountain", "Reclusion in High Mountain in Summer", "Migration to Gezhichuan Picture" and so on.

Wang Yi: (approximately 1333~?) Chinese painter of the Yuan Dynasty. The word "Thinking of Goodness", the word "Crazy" will definitely lead to birth. His ancestral home is Muzhou (now Jiande, Zhejiang Province), and he later lived in Hangzhou. Many talents, good at painting, especially portraits, he learned from Gu Kui. The portraits painted have both form and spirit, and can express the characters' personality characteristics. The author of "Secrets of Portraits", which is divided into color painting methods, ancient portraiture techniques, and the nine-square grid method for retracting and unfolding, summarizes his personal creative experience and advocates that when painting portraits, one should observe the shape and color of the subject while they are screaming, chatting, and laughing, and keep it in mind. After closing your eyes and recalling, you can fully express the appearance and temperament of the painted object. There is "Small Portrait of Yang Zhuxi" (with Ni Zan adding turquoise background) handed down from generation to generation.

Wang Mian: (1287～1359) Chinese painter and poet of Yuan Dynasty. Zi Yuanzhang, No. Zhuishishanong, Meihua House Owner, etc. A native of Kuaiji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). Born in a farmer's family, he herded cattle when he was a child. After working, he studied and studied painting. When he was young, he was passionate about fame. However, he failed many times. Then he gave up his official career and wandered around the country. He is good at bamboo, stone and seal carving, and is especially good at ink plum blossoms. He learned from monk Zhongren and Yang Wujiu and developed it. The dots are all done with ink and wash to capture the charm and character of plum blossoms. There are "Dark Plum Blossom Pictures" and "Nanzhi Early Spring Pictures" handed down from generation to generation, and he wrote "Plum Plum Blossoms" to elaborate on the theory of plum painting. He is also good at poetry, mostly expressing the sufferings of people's lives and exposing the corruption and arrogance of the powerful, as well as pursuing nobleness and not following the current customs. Author of 4 volumes of "Zhuzhai Poetry Collection", with 1 additional volume. His representative works include "Spring Morning in Nanzhi" and so on.

Tang Di: (1296～1364) Chinese painter of Yuan Dynasty. The courtesy name is Zihua, and his late name is Dunzhai. Wuxing (now a native of Huzhou, Zhejiang). He once dedicated his paintings to the court and served as Zhaomo of Jiaxing Road, Yin of Xiuning County, and Magistrate of Wujiang Prefecture. Good at landscapes, he studied painting with Zhao Mengxi, and also learned from Li Cheng and Guo Xi, which made some changes. The works are based on scenes of farmers, fishermen and other activities, giving them a sense of life. The painting depicts a forest of rocks and frost, with undulating peaks and mountains. The brushwork is vigorous, concise, smooth and light. The characters in the painting are detailed and vivid in form. There are "Pictures of Returning to Fishing in Shuangpu", "Pictures of Fishing in Snow Ganges", "Pictures of Floating Land and Warm Green", "Pictures of Drinking in the Shade", etc. handed down from generation to generation.

Cao Zhibai: (1272～1355) Chinese painter of Yuan Dynasty. His courtesy name was Youxuan, his nickname was Yunxi, and he was known as Mr. Zhensu. He was a native of Huating (now Songjiang, Shanghai). He once served as a lecturer in Kunshan, but later resigned and lived in seclusion, reading scriptures and being fond of Taoism. He belongs to a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River. The manor is spacious, luxurious and quiet. He likes to associate with literati and famous people, and his family has a wealth of collections. He is good at landscapes and learned from Li Cheng and Guo Xi. The mountains and rocks are soft and fine, with little exaggeration. His brushwork was graceful in his early years, but green and simple in his later years. His style is clear and simple. There are "Cold Forest Picture", "Sparse Forest Picture and Youxiu Picture", "Pearl Peaks and Snow Ji Picture" etc. handed down from generation to generation.

Zhao Mengfu: (1254-1322), named Zi'ang, also known as Songxue, Songxue Taoist, also known as Shuijinggong Taoist and Oubo. In his middle age, he was named Mengfu, Han nationality, and a native of Wuxing (now Huzhou, Zhejiang). He was a famous painter in the Yuan Dynasty and one of the four masters of regular script (Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, and Zhao Mengfu). Zhao Mengfu was erudite and talented. He was good at poetry and prose, understood economics, was good at calligraphy and painting, was good at epigraphy and stone, knew laws and regulations, and understood appreciation. In particular, he achieved the highest achievements in calligraphy and painting, creating a new style of painting in the Yuan Dynasty, and was known as the "Crown of the Yuan Dynasty". He is also good at seal script, official script, Zhen script, Xing script, and cursive script, and is especially famous for his regular script and running script. His representative works include "Autumn Colors of Magpie Flowers".

Four Yuan Schools: Wu Zhen, Wang Meng, Huang Gongwang, Ni Zan

Huang Gongwang: Chinese painter and calligrapher of the Yuan Dynasty, one of the Four Yuan Schools. His original name was Lu Jian, also known as Jing Jian. Because he was adopted from the Huang family in Yongjia, Zhejiang, he changed his name to Zijiu. His representative work is "Danya Yushu Picture Scroll".

Huang Gongwang lived in Ziyou Lane, Changshu. Because his parents died when he was young and his family was poor, when he was about ten years old, he was adopted by Huang Le, a native of Yongjia, Zhejiang, who lived at the top of Yushan Mountain. The origin of his name is quite interesting. After Huang Gongwang's father had a son, his friends came to congratulate him and said, "Huang Gongwang has been looking forward to his son for a long time!" Therefore, Huang's father named him "Gongwang", with the courtesy name Zijiu. He was from Changshu, Jiangsu Province. Although his "Mountain Dwelling" is inscribed as "The Great Idiot Taoist Pingyang Huang Gongwang", his tomb is located at the foot of Yushan Mountain outside the west gate of Changshu. He once worked as a minor official and was imprisoned due to being involved. After being released from prison, he lived in seclusion and entered the Quanzhen sect of Taoism. He is skilled in calligraphy, good at poetry and prose, and has achieved quite a lot. He began to paint landscapes after the age of 50. He learned from Zhao Mengfu, Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Jing Hao, Guan Tong, Li Cheng, etc. In his later years, he changed his method greatly and became his own family. His paintings pay attention to learning from nature, and he often carries paper and pen to depict the natural scenery of Yushan, Sanmao, Jiufeng, Fuchun River and other places. The painting is based on the Caocheng brushwork in calligraphy, which has two aspects: ink and light crimson. The brushwork is simple and elegant, the style is vigorous and broad, and the momentum is majestic. Huang Gongwang's paintings had a great influence in the late Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties and in modern times. In the history of painting, he, Wu Zhen, Ni Zan and Wang Meng are collectively called the Four Yuan Schools. The author of "Landscape Jue" explains the painting theory, painting methods, layout, artistic conception, etc. There are "Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains", "Nine Peaks with Snow", "Danya Yushu Picture", "Tianchi Stone Wall Picture", "Xishan Rain Intention", "Shanxi Visiting Dai", "Fuchun Daling Picture" "And so on.

Wu Zhen: (1280～1354) Chinese painter of Yuan Dynasty. The courtesy name is Zhonggui, and the names are Meihua Taoist, Meisha Mi, etc. A native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang. He was well versed in the classics and history, and dabbled in Buddhism and Taoism. He was not an official all his life and entertained himself with poetry, calligraphy and painting. He is good at cursive calligraphy and learned from Huai Su and Yang Ningshi. His "Picture of Fishing on the Autumn River" is elegant and unique. Good at landscape and bamboo. Dong Yuan, a master of landscape painting, has great changes. His works mostly depict fishermen and seclusion themes. He uses a long hemp cloth to paint mountains and rocks, and renders them with ink. The thick ink is dotted with moss, and the ink color is moist and full of changes. The artistic conception is deep and the style is deep and majestic. The ink bamboo is taken from French Wen Tong, Gao Kegong, thick ink and bare pen, strong and calm, powerful and heroic, and unique style. Wu Zhen's landscape paintings had a great influence on the paintings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and were listed as the four masters of Yuan Dynasty in the history of painting. There are volumes such as "Two junipers leveling into the distance", "Fisherman's Picture", "Autumn River Fishing Hidden Picture" and "Bamboo Manual" handed down from generation to generation. His poems and essays were compiled by later generations into "Mei Daoren's Remaining Ink" and "Meihua An Manuscript".

Wang Meng: (1301-1385), a painter of the Yuan Dynasty. His courtesy name was Shuming, his nicknames were Huangheshan Qiao and Xiangguang Jushi. He was a native of Huzhou (now Wuxing, Zhejiang). My grandfather Zhao Mengfu, my grandmother Duan Sheng, my uncle Zhao Yong, and my cousin Zhao Yanzheng were all famous painters in the Yuan Dynasty. Wang Meng's landscape paintings were directly influenced by Zhao Mengfu. Later, he learned from Wang Wei, Dong Yuan, Ju Ran and others, and synthesized a new style. When he was young, he lived in seclusion in Huanghe Mountain (now Linping Mountain in Yuhang) for decades, living a leisurely life of "lying on the green mountains and looking at the white clouds". At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng settled in western Zhejiang. He was employed as a Liwen and a Changshi. After abandoning his official position, he lived in seclusion in Huangheshan, Linping (now Linping Town, Yuhang, Zhejiang), and named himself Huangheshan Woodcutter. In the early Ming Dynasty, Wang Meng was appointed magistrate of Tai'an (now part of Shandong). He was implicated in the Hu Weiyong case and died in prison. Wang Mengneng is a poet and calligrapher. He is especially good at painting landscapes, and he was taught by his maternal ancestor Zhao Mengfu. He took Dong Yuan and Ju Ran as his ancestors and became his own style. The scenery is densely painted, with multiple mountains and rivers in the layout, and good use of cracks and moss spots to express the lush and vast atmosphere of the forest. In addition to landscapes, he is also a person. His works had a great influence on landscape painting in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, second only to Huang Gongwang. Later generations called him, Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and Ni Zan the "Four Yuan Painters". It had a great influence on landscape paintings of the Ming and Qing Dynasties and modern times. The "Water Halo Ink Seal" created by Wang Meng enriched the expression techniques of national painting. His unique style is manifested in his "majestic vitality", skillful use of pen, and "bizarre vertical and horizontal strokes with no discernible clues". "History of Painting and Essentials of Painting" says: "Wang Meng was a master of landscape painting, and he was very good at using ink techniques." And Yun Nantian even called him "the distant sect Mojie (Wang Wei)". Commonly used chapping methods include Jiesuo Chao and Niu Mao Cha. Its characteristics are that it is easy to use a chapping pen that is curled like an earthworm, and is famous for using the pen to press changes and "complexity"; the other is to use "light ink hook stone bones, pure Use burnt ink to rub it, so that there is no room left in the stone, and then add broken points to make it look deep and beautiful." Dong Qichang once wrote an inscription in his work: "The writing power of a prince can carry a cauldron, and there has been no such king in five hundred years." The handed down masterpieces "Residence in Qingbian" and "Reading in Chunshan" are collected by the Shanghai Museum; "Migration of Ge Zhichuan" and " "Summer Mountain Dwelling", collected by the National Palace Museum in Beijing; "Autumn Mountain Cottage", collected by the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Representative works include "Misty Rain on the Xiangjiang River" and "Deep Forest and Mountains", etc. Poetry and history are also excellent. There is a collection of poems called "Thatched Cottage Yaji".

Ni Zan: (1301～1374) Chinese painter and poet in Yuan Dynasty. The original name was Jue, with the surname Yuanzhen, the nickname Yunlin, and other nicknames Huanxiasheng, Jingmanmin, etc. A native of Meili Jituo Village, Wuxi, Changzhou (now Meili Town, Wuxi, Jiangsu). He was born into a wealthy man in the south of the Yangtze River and believed in Taoism. In order to avoid war in the late Yuan Dynasty, he dispersed all his family assets and retreated to the five lakes and three lakes to devote himself to calligraphy and painting. He has a withdrawn and arrogant temperament, and has a mysophobia, so the world calls him Ni Biao. He is good at landscapes, bamboos, stones, dead wood, etc. His landscape paintings were developed after learning from Dong Yuan, Jing Hao, Guan Tong and Li Cheng. His painting techniques are sparse and simple, and his style is innocent and quiet. The works mostly depict the landscapes around Taihu Lake. The compositions are flat and distant, and the scenery is minimalist. Most of the paintings are sparse forests and sloping banks, with shallow water and distant zeniths. Use the pen to change the center to the side, fold and crack the mountains and rocks, use the dry pen to dry the ink, the elegant and beautiful pines, the artistic conception is desolate, cold and empty, and the style is desolate and elegant. The ink bamboo is refreshing and beautiful. On painting, he advocated the expression of subjective feelings and believed that paintings should express the author's "easy spirit" without seeking physical resemblance. He said, "As for the so-called painters, they only use careless brushstrokes and do not seek resemblance in form, just to entertain themselves."

His painting practice and theoretical views had a great influence on the literati painters of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and he enjoyed a high reputation. In the history of painting, he, Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and Wang Meng were named one of the four Yuan painters. He is good at calligraphy and regular script. He is ancient and elegant, and has the style of the people of Wei and Jin Dynasties. There are "Pictures of Bamboo Dwelling in the Water", "Picture of Rong Xi Zhai", "Picture of Autumn at Fishing Village", "Picture of Yushan Forest Valley", "Picture of Cold Pines in a Secluded Stream", "Picture of Beautiful Trees in Autumn Pavilion", "Picture of Strange Rocks and Clusters". , "Bamboo Branch Picture" and other works handed down from generation to generation.