Ming Dynasty painting

During the 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 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/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-, late- Ming Dynasty. The painting was derived in a broad scale, many new schools were born, and many outstanding masters emerged.

Development

Early Ming period

About 1368~1505, from the Hongwu Era to Hongzhi 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 impacted on the early Ming painting. But new schools of painting were born and grew. ''Zhejiang School'' and the school which was supported by the royal court were the dominant schools during the early Ming period. The scholar-artist style of painting 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 to Jiajing Era .

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 and further developed this style into a peak. Wumen School was a large group of people, including teacher-student relationship and family relationship .


Xu Wei from Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, he developed a lot the enjoyable style of Chinese painting , especially the geart enjoyable style . As an outstanding scholar, his accomplishments are mainly in the field of scholar-artist painting, especially in bird-and-flower painting.

Chen Chun , although he followed the teaching from Wumen School of painting during his early years, he set up his own style in Shan-shuin painting ; 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 to Chongzhen Era .

Songjiang School and Huating School were born and developed, they formed rudiment of latterly coming Shanghai School.

Schools & Painters

*''Zhejiang School of Painting''
**Jiangxia School
**Wulin School or Post-Zhejiang School

Dai Jin , Wu Wei , Lan Ying

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 , a place in Hangzhou near the West Lake.

Most of the painters from this school, they are Zhejiang natives.

*''Yuanti School''

Lin Liang , Lv Ji

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''
Tang Yin , Wen Zhengming , Shen Zhou , Qiu Ying , Zhou Chen , Wen Jia

The core place for this school was Suzhou, whose literary name was Wumen . 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''
Xu Wei

*''Xieyi Shangshui''
Chen chun

*''Songjiang School''
Dong Qichang

The core place for this school was in the southern part of Jiangsu Province at that time, but now part of Shanghai.

*''Huating School''
Zhao Zuo

This school is close to Songjiang School.

*''Susong School''

This school is similar to Songjiang School.

Influence

Influence in Japan


The Zen monk painter Sesshū Tōyō 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 in Mingzhou , and also spent time in Beijing in the royal palace . Before he went to Ming China, he studied Song and Yuan styles of painting 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 , 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 provided the basis for the Qing Dynasty painting, from skill to style.