Ming Dynasty Painting - Schools and Painters

Schools and Painters

• Zhejiang School of Painting (浙派, full name in Chinese: 浙江画派)
  • Jiangxia School (江夏画派)
  • Wulin School or Post-Zhejiang School (武林画派, or 后浙派)

Dai Jin (戴进), Wu Wei (吴伟), Lan Ying (蓝瑛) (Lan family)

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 (武林), a place in Hangzhou near the West Lake.

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

• Yuanti School (院体画派)

Lin Liang (林良), Lv Ji (吕纪)

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 (吴门画派)

Tang Yin (唐寅), Wen Zhengming (文征明), Shen Zhou (沈周), Qiu Ying (仇英), Zhou Chen (周臣), Wen Jia (文嘉)

The primary location for this school was Suzhou, whose literary name was Wumen (吴门). Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, Shenzhou and Qiu Ying, these four painters also were regarded as the "Big Four of the Ming Period" in Ming period painting.

• Xieyi Huaniao (写意花鸟)

Xu Wei (徐渭)

• Xieyi Shangshui (写意山水)

Chen chun (陈淳)

• Songjiang School (松江画派)

Dong Qichang (董其昌)

The core place for this school was in the southern part of Jiangsu Province at that time, but now part of Shanghai. During the late Ming Dynasty, the Songjiang School rivaled Wumen, particularly in generating new theories of painting.

• Huating School (华亭画派)

Zhao Zuo (赵左)

This school is close to Songjiang School.

• Susong School (苏松画派)

This school is similar to Songjiang School.