Chapter 22 Section Three: Dong Qichang and the Northern and Southern Schools

Dong Qichang (AD 1555-1636), styled Xuanzai and nicknamed Sibai, was born in Huating, Songjiang (now Songjiang, Shanghai).Shenzong Wanli seventeen years (AD 1589) Jinshi, official to the Ministry of Rites.He is knowledgeable, good at appreciation, good at calligraphy, and good at landscape painting.Calligraphy started from Yan Zhenqing, and later transferred to Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi. His calligraphy is sparse and elegant, forming a school of his own, and he is known as one of the four great calligraphers in the late Ming Dynasty.His landscape paintings are based on Xiao San of Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Mi Fu, Ni Zan and Huang Gongwang.In his later years, he also borrowed from Li Tang's profundity, and his paintings of landscapes, trees, stones, smoke and clouds are flowing, elegant and unrestrained.Pursue calligraphy into painting, with special emphasis on the movement of the pen and the momentum of the ink.He himself said: "Compared with Wen Taishi (that is, Wen Zhengming), Yu's paintings have their own advantages and disadvantages. The fine style of the text is not as good as mine. As for the elegance and beauty, it is even better." Because of the difference of the Huating faction, it was promoted as the head of the Huating faction.Dong Qichang's landscape paintings have two aspects: ink and green.His main works include "Mountains and Mountains in Autumn", "Clouds and Mountains and Waters", "Yanjiang Mountains", "The Eight Scenes of Autumn", "Day Brocade Hall" and so on.

The reason why Dong Qichang had a great influence on later generations is also because he put forward unique insights on the distinction between previous painting schools.He is the author of "Rongtai Collection", "Rongtai Other Collection", "Painting Zen Room Essays" and so on.For the first time, he divided landscape painting into northern and southern schools in terms of style.Said: "Zen has two sects, north and south, which were divided in the Tang Dynasty. The two schools of painting, the north and the south, are also in the Tang Dynasty, but they are not the north and the south. The northern sect is Li Sixun and his sons. Su (su Su) to the Ma and Xia generations. In the Southern Zong, Wang Mojie began to use the method of rendering light, and then changed the method of hooking (zhuo turbid). It is passed down to Zhang Yu, Jing, Guan, Guo (Zhongshu), Dong, Ju and Mi's father and son, and even the four great families of the Yuan Dynasty. Just like the sixth patriarch, Maju Yunmen and Linji's children and grandchildren flourished, while the Beizong was weak." He also denounced the "Beizong" as being exposed, sloppy, and only focusing on skills , I don't know the implicit "expert" paintings; praise "Nanzong" is a literati painting and "Lijia" painting with natural charm, quiet charm and bookish atmosphere.He also strongly admires the frankness and chic morale of his pen and ink.With Dong Qichang's social status and his reputation in the world of calligraphy and painting, his views on painting were quickly accepted by the literati and painters at that time, and formed a strong painting trend, which directly influenced the Chinese painting circle for more than 300 years.