Five Centuries of Chinese Painting: Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties Page: 4
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The intellectual or literary overtones are further emphasized by the poetic
inscriptions and colophons which often are an important clue to the mood of a
painting. Within the frame of this general intellectual approach there was, however,
as this exhibition will show, much room for artistic and pictorial development and
individual style and expression.
The influence of the Yiian painters was transmitted to the Ming Dynasty (1368-
1644) by artists like Wang Fu (No. 1), who, in spirit as well as in style, was still
very close to them. Perhaps the greatest and most influential of the Ming artists was
Shen Chou (Nos. 2, 3, 4), well known also as a poet and calligrapher, the founder
of the so-called Wu school (after Wu-men in Kiangsu). In his life as well as his art
he realized the ideals of the literati. Strongly inspired by the great Yuan masters
whom he studied and copied, he passed their influence on to his pupils and followers.
The greatest of these was Wen Cheng-ming (Nos. 7, 8, 9) equally famous as painter
and calligrapher and a competent poet. The group of the Four Great Masters of the
Ming Dynasty is completed by T'ang Yin (Nos. 11, 12) and Ch'iu Ying (No. 13),
both pupils of Chou Ch'en (No. 10). T'ang Yin shows a certain influence also of the
Ch& (Chekiang) school, here represented by the brilliant libertine Wu Wei (No. 5),
which followed the tradition of the Late or Southern Sung painters, and of the Sung
academicians. The latter influence also is noticeable in the works of Ch'iu Ying with
their delicate archaizing style. Both the passionate and eccentric T'ang Yin and the
humble and meticulous Ch'iu Ying are counted, however, to the Wu school and the
followers of Shen Chou. Ch'en Shun (No. 14) was a gifted and independent pupil
of Wen Cheng-ming; Chou Chih-mien (No. 15), famous for his flower paintings, a
somewhat later representative of the same group, as were Sheng Mao-yeh (No. 19)
and Shao Mi (No. 18).
The late Ming and early Ch'ing period saw a renaissance of painting which was
largely due to Tung Ch'i-ch'ang (Nos. 16, 17). A prominent scholar, writer, poet
and high official, he became famous as a calligrapher even more than as a painter
and exercised a decisive influence on contemporary and later artists through his art
as well as his aesthetic writings. Once more the artists of the Early Sung and Yuan
Dynasties were the source of inspiration; once more they were interpreted in an
independent and strongly individualistic way which opened new paths for artistic
development and expression. Once more also, the prominence of literary paintings
was assured. Whereas Lan Ying (No. 20), generally counted as the last representa-
tive of the Che school, was a rather independent artist, Tung Ch'i-ch'ang's influence
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Dallas Museum of Fine Arts. Five Centuries of Chinese Painting: Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, pamphlet, 1954; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth183376/m1/4/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Dallas Museum of Art.