Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty

Last updated • 1 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Wang Meng, Ge Zhichuan Moving (Ge Zhi Chuan Yi Ju Tu ), Palace Museum, Beijing Ge Zhichuan Relocating by Wang Meng.jpg
Wang Meng, Ge Zhichuan Moving (葛稚川移居图), Palace Museum, Beijing

The Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty (Chinese :元四家; pinyin :Yuán Sì Jiā) is a name used to collectively describe the four Chinese painters: Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, Ni Zan, and Wang Meng, who were active during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). They were revered during the Ming dynasty and later periods as major exponents of the tradition of “literati painting” ( wenrenhua ), which was concerned more with individual expression and learning than with outward representation and immediate visual appeal. [1]

Contents

Huang Gongwang and Wu Zhen belonged to the earlier generation of artists in the Yuan period and consciously emulated the work of ancient masters, especially the pioneering artists of the Five Dynasties period, such as Dong Yuan and Juran, who rendered landscape in a broad, almost Impressionistic manner, with coarse brushstrokes and wet ink washes. While these painters were also respected by the two younger Yuan masters, the restrained thinness of Ni Zan and the almost embroidered richness of Wang Meng distinguished their work from that of their immediate predecessors. [1]

The work of the Four Masters spurred experimentation with novel brushstroke techniques, with a new attention to the vocabulary of brush manipulation.

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Rawson, Jessica (2007). The British Museum Book of Chinese Art. British Museum Press. pp. 115–116, 339–340. ISBN   978-0-7141-2446-9.

Related Research Articles

Chinese art Visual art that originated in or is practiced in China or by Chinese artists

Chinese art is visual art that, whether ancient or modern, originated in or is practiced in Greater China, be it the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC), or by Chinese artists. The Chinese art of overseas Chinese can also be considered part of Chinese art where it is based in or draws on Chinese culture, heritage and history. Early "Stone Age art" dates back to 10,000 BC, mostly consisting of simple pottery and sculptures. After this early period Chinese art, like Chinese history, is typically classified by the succession of ruling dynasties of Chinese emperors, most of which lasted several hundred years. The Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei contains an extensive collection of Chinese art.

Ink wash painting Chinese painting style using black ink of different concentrations

Ink wash painting is a type of Asian ink brush painting which uses black ink, such as that used in Asian calligraphy, in different concentrations. Emerging during the Tang dynasty of China (618–907), it overturned earlier, more realistic techniques. It is typically monochrome, using only shades of black, with a great emphasis on virtuoso brushwork and conveying the perceived "spirit" or "essence" of a subject over direct imitation. It flourished from the Song dynasty in China (960–1279) onwards, as well as in Japan after it was introduced by Zen Buddhist monks in the 14th century. Some Western scholars divide Chinese painting into three periods: times of representation, times of expression, and historical Oriental art. Chinese scholars have their own views different from this, and they believe that contemporary Chinese ink wash paintings are the pluralistic continuation of multiple historical traditions.

Chinese painting Artistic tradition

Chinese painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world. Painting in the traditional style is known today in Chinese as guó huà, meaning "national painting" or "native painting", as opposed to Western styles of art which became popular in China in the 20th century. It is also called danqing. Traditional painting involves essentially the same techniques as calligraphy and is done with a brush dipped in black ink or coloured pigments; oils are not used. As with calligraphy, the most popular materials on which paintings are made are paper and silk. The finished work can be mounted on scrolls, such as hanging scrolls or handscrolls. Traditional painting can also be done on album sheets, walls, lacquerware, folding screens, and other media.

Shitao Chinese painter (1642–1707)

Shitao or Shi Tao, born into the Ming dynasty imperial clan as Zhu Ruoji (朱若極), was a Chinese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and landscape painter during the early Qing dynasty.

Ni Zan

Ni Zan was a Chinese painter during the Yuan and early Ming periods. Along with Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and Wang Meng, he is considered to be one of the Four Masters of the Yuan Dynasty.

Huang Gongwang

Huang Gongwang (1269–1354), birth name Lu Jian, was Chinese painter, poet, and writer born at the end of the Song dynasty in Changshu, Jiangsu. He was the oldest of the "Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty".

<i>Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains</i> Painting by Huang Gongwang

Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains is one of the few surviving works by Chinese painter Huang Gongwang (1269–1354) and is considered to be among his greatest works. Painted between 1348 and 1350, the painting was burnt into two pieces in 1650. Today, one piece is kept in the Zhejiang Provincial Museum in Hangzhou, while the other piece is kept in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Put together, the entire painting would measure 691.3 cm in length.

Wang Meng (painter)

Wang Meng was a Chinese painter during the Yuan Dynasty.

Fu Baoshi

Fu Baoshi, or Fu Pao-Shih, (1904-1965) was a Chinese painter from Xinyu, Jiangxi Province. He went to Japan to study the History of Oriental Art in the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1933. He translated many books from Japanese and carried out his own research. In painting itself, he brought Japanese visual elements to the Chinese ink painting tradition.

Ming dynasty painting

During the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), Chinese painting progressed further basing on 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 and late Ming. The painting was derived in a broad scale, many new schools were born, and many outstanding masters emerged.

Southern School

The Southern School of Chinese painting, often called "literati painting", is a term used to denote art and artists which stand in opposition to the formal Northern School of painting. The distinction is not geographic, but relates to the style and contents of the works, and to some extent to the position of the artist. Typically, where professional, formal painters were classified as Northern School, scholar-bureaucrats who had either retired from the professional world or who were never a part of it constituted the Southern School.

Wang Yuanqi

Wang Yuanqi was a Chinese painter of the Qing dynasty.

The decade of the 1350s in art involved some significant events.

Cheng Jiasui

Cheng Jiasui (1565-1643) was a Chinese landscape painter and poet during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644).

Wu Li

Wu Li ; ca. 1632-1718 was a Chinese landscape painter poet and calligrapher from Jiangsu who lived during the Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).

The Xiling Seal Art Society(Chinese: 西泠印社) is a Chinese arts organisation based in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, PRC. It was founded in 1904 but, with antecedents dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, is one of China's most important traditional stone seal engraving associations.

Four Masters of the Ming dynasty Grouping of major Chinese painters during the Ming dynasty period (1368–1644)

The Four Masters of the Ming dynasty are a traditional grouping in Chinese art history of four famous Chinese painters that lived during the Ming dynasty. The group consists of Shen Zhou (1427–1509), Wen Zhengming (1470–1559), Tang Yin (1470–1523), and Qiu Ying (c.1494–c.1552). They were contemporaries, with Shen being the teacher of Wen, while Tang and Qiu was taught by Zhou Chen (1460–1535). All five of the aforementioned painters were part of the Wu School. Their styles and subject matter were varied. Qiu was solely a painter, while the other three developed distinct styles of painting, calligraphy, and poetry.

<i>God of War, Zhao Yun</i>

God of War, Zhao Yun, also known as Chinese Hero Zhao Zilong, released under the title Dynasty Warriors in Indonesia, is a 2016 Chinese television series directed by Cheng Lidong and produced by Zhejiang Yongle Entertainment Co., Ltd. The series starred cast members from mainland China, South Korea and Taiwan: Lin Gengxin, Im Yoon-ah and Kim Jeong-hoon. The story is loosely adapted from the 14th-century Chinese classical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, with Zhao Yun as the main character. It was first aired on Hunan TV from 3 April to 7 May 2016.

<i>Six Gentlemen</i> (painting) Painting by Ni Zan

Six Gentlemen is a landscape painting by the Yuan dynasty Chinese artist Ni Zan (1301–1374). The work portrays six trees along a riverbank, a metaphor for the principled seclusion of virtuous gentlemen in an era of violent upheaval and foreign occupation. As the first of Ni Zan’s paintings to demonstrate the stark, minimalist style for which he is known, Six Gentlemen marked a turning point in his artistic career. He would frequently return to its subject matter in later years, producing many subsequent works of nearly identical composition and style.

Wen Shu or Wen Chu was a Chinese illustrator and painter who worked under the art name Hanshan and was known for her paintings of flora and small insects during the Ming dynasty. She is considered the finest flower painter of the period.

References