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 Enjoying Antiquities Tu Chin Ming Dynasty (fl. ca. 1465 - 1505)
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National Palace Museum Figure Painting of the Middle Ming Dynasty: * Chou Ch'en * Ch'iu Ying Gallerise 202, 212 2000/7/10 - 2000/9/25 During the middle years of the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), the areas surrounding the lower reaches of the Yangtze River (known as the Chiang-nan region) enjoyed a period of unprecedented prosperity. This economic growth saw the concomitant rise of a wealthy merchant and gentry class who stood at the center of regional cultural life and whose tastes defined the direction of artistic development. Tu Chin, Chou Ch'en, T'ang Yin, and Ch'iu Ying were all active in the cultural circles of the region, and stand out as some of the finest professional painters of the era. In the history of later Chinese painting, a contrast is often made between the artistic style of professional / academy painter, who painted for a living (often on commission), and that of literati / scholar painters, who approached painting more as a means of poetic self-expression, detached from any profit-seeking motive. in the traditional history of Ming painting, this distinction carried a regional component as well: the literati painters of the "Wu school" were largely associated with the city of Soochow and its environs, while the academy painters of the so-called "Che school" were located primarily in the vicinity of Hangchow. In recent years, many scholars have questioned the value of this particular distinction, partly because the effort to fit painters into one of these categories can obscure other points of stylistic congruence between their works. Indeed, although none of the four painters featured in this exhibit conform perfectly, in terms of region, experience, and style, to one of these two categories, they all are related, not only through their studies and personal friendships, but also in the similarity of their styles. |
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| Jul - Sept, 2000 Issue Museum Previous Issues |
