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Introduction

The development of Chinese painting history can be compared to a marvelous symphony. The styles and traditions of figure, landscape, and bird-and-flower painting formed themes that continue today to blend into a single piece of music in Chinese art. Painters throughout the ages have made up this "orchestra," composing and performing many movements and variations within this long tradition.

During the Six Dynasties period (222-589) to Tang dynasty (618-907), the foundations of figure painting were gradually laid by such important artists as Gu Kaizhi and Wu Daozi. Modes of landscape painting then took shape in the Five Dynasties period (907-960) with distinctions based on geography. For example, Jing Hao and Guan Tong depicted monumental peaks to the north, while Dong Yuan and Juran represented water-filled scenery of hills to the south in Jiangnan. In bird-and-flower painting, the noble Tang court manner was passed down in Sichuan through the style of Huang Quan, contrasting with the more rustic one of Xu Xi in the Jiangnan area.

Also in the Song dynasty (960-1279), landscape painters such as Fan Kuan, Guo Xi, and Li Tang developed new manners based on previous traditions. The transition in compositional arrangement from grand mountains to intimate scenery also reflected in part the political, cultural, and economic shift to the south at the time. Guided by the taste of the emperor, painters at the court academy focused on observing nature combined with "poetic sentiment" to reinforce the effect of both formal likeness and personal expression. Painters were continually inspired by the things around them, leading to the depiction of technical and architectural elements, for example, in the late eleventh century. The focus on poetic sentiment naturally brought together the "Three Perfections" of painting, poetry, and calligraphy in the same work (often as an album leaf or fan) by the Southern Song period (1127-1279). Scholars earlier in the Northern Song era (960-1126), however, thought that painting as an art had to go beyond just the "appearance of forms" in order to express their ideas and cultivation. This became the foundation for a movement known as literati painting.

One of the goals of Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) literati artists, including Zhao Mengfu and the Four Yuan Masters (Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, Ni Zan, and Wang Meng), was to revive the antique styles of the Tang and Northern Song as a starting point for personal expression. This variation on revivalism transformed old "melodies" into new and personal tunes, some of which developed into important traditions of their own in the following Ming and Qing dynasties. As in poetry and calligraphy, personal cultivation was often an integral part of expression in painting.

Starting in the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), painting became increasingly distinguished by local schools forming important clusters in the history of Chinese art. The styles of "Wu School" artists in the Suzhou area, for example, were based on the cultivated approaches of literati painting by the Four Yuan Masters. The "Zhe School," on the other hand, consisted mostly of painters from the Zhejiang and Fujian areas; also active at court, they created a direct and liberated form of monochrome ink painting based on Southern Song models.

The influential late Ming master Dong Qichang and the Four Wangs (Wang Shimin, Wang Jian, Wang Hui, Wang Yuanqi) of the early Qing dynasty (1644-1911) adopted the literati goal of unifying ancient styles into a "grand synthesis" to render the mind and nature with brush and ink. The result was the "Orthodox School" supported by the Manchu Qing emperors. The court also took a keen interest in Western painting techniques (brought by European missionaries) involving volume and perspective, which became known to and used by some Chinese painters to create a fusion style. Outside the court, the major commercial hub of Yangzhou became a center for "eccentric" yet professional painters who led the trend toward individualism. It spread to Shanghai as well, where the styles of artists were inspired by "non-orthodox" manners, which themselves became models for later artists.

Thus, throughout the ages, one of the hallmarks of Chinese painting has been the pursuit of individuality and innovation within this traditional "symphonic" heritage. The exhibition here represents a selection of individual "performances" from the Museum collection to allow viewers to appreciate and understand Chinese painting. Arranged in chronological order, these works provide an overview of some major traditions and "interludes" in Chinese art history.

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Exhibit List

Title Artist Period
Desolate Temple in Misty Haze Attributed to Li Tang (ca. 1049-after 1130, or ca. 1070-after 1150) Song dynasty (960-1279)
Blessed Land of Wooded Peaks Attributed to Zhao Xiyuan Yuan dynasty (1279-1368)
Poetic Thoughts on a Flat Skiff Gazing at the Moon by a Riverbank Zheng Dayou Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Pines and Ridges by a Bamboo Fence Wen Boren (1502-1575) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Landscape in the Brush Idea of Yuan Artists Hou Maogong Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Imitating the Brush Idea of Yan Wengui Dong Qichang (1555-1636) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Poetic Thoughts in an Autumn Pavilion Lan Ying (1585-after 1664) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Imitating Wang Wei's "Traveling in Snowy Mountains" Lan Meng Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Landscape Wang Yun (1652-after 1753) Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Zhezong of the Song Anonymous
Seated Portrait of Song Zhezong Anonymous Song dynasty (960-1279)
Seated Portrait of Ming Xizong Anonymous Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Portrait of Xizong, Emperor Zhe Anonymous
Records of Wise and Virtuous Rulers Chen Shiguan (1680-1758) Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Imitating Landscapes of the Ancients Bian Wenyu (ca. 1576-1655) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Imitating the Ancients Qin Yi (fl. mid-17th c.) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Illustrations of Agriculture and Fishing Attributed to Li Sixun (653-718) Tang dynasty(618-907)
Silk Matters Attributed to Liu Songnian (ca. 1150-after 1225) Song dynasty (960-1279)
Fishing Village Zhou Chen (fl. ca. late 15th to early 16th c.) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Illustrations of Agriculture and Sericulture Attributed to Tang Yin (1470-1524) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Paintings of Agriculture and Sericulture Anonymous Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Snow Alchemy by Master Geng of the Southern Tang Attributed to an anonymous artist Song dynasty (960-1279)
Boats Racing for the Pennant Attributed to an anonymous artist Yuan dynasty (1279-1368)
Brewing Tea Wang Wen (1497-1576) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
Arhats in Monochrome Ink Ding Yunpeng (1547 or 1548-after 1629) Ming dynasty (1368-1644)
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