Painting in National Palace Museum, Ming dynasty part2

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of Ming dynasty paintings! Here you can explore some of the most beautiful and unique works of art from this period. We have a variety of different paintings on display, including T'ao Ku Presenting a Lyric to Ch'in Jo-lan, Spring Dawn in the Han Palace, Flowers and Bamboo, Shady Trees in a Summer Landscape, Ducks Sleeping on a Lotus Bank, After the Line "Idly Watching Children Catch Willow Flowers", Returning Late from a Spring Outing, Plum Blossoms and Wild Bird and Enjoying Antiquities. These paintings were created by some of the most talented artists of the time, and they offer us a glimpse into Chinese culture during the Ming dynasty. Come take a look at these incredible works of art today!

1. T'ao Ku Presenting a Lyric to Ch'in Jo-lan

T'ang Yin was a native of Wu-hsien (Soochow, Kiangsu) and is considered one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming. In painting, he studied under Chou Ch'en ca. 1450-1535 and copied the works of such artists as Li Ch'eng, Fan K'uan, Ma Yüan, and Hsia Kuei, all Sung masters active from the tenth to thirteenth centuries Furthermore, since he had an inherent talent for painting, he was able to surpass these forerunners and create a distinct personal style. T'ang Yin was a native of Wu-hsien (Soochow, Kiangsu) and is considered one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming In painting, he studied under Chou Ch'en ca 1450-1535 and copied the works of such artists as Li Ch'eng, Fan K'uan, Ma Yüan, and Hsia Kuei, all Sung masters active from the tenth to thirteenth centuries Furthermore, since he had an inherent talent for painting, he was able to surpass these forerunners and create a distinct personal style

2. Spring Dawn in the Han Palace

Ch'iu Ying was born into a poor family and learned the art of painting from Chou Ch'en. Ch'iu Ying's paintings are elegant and refined and are quite decorative. This long handscroll work is an imaginary representation of various activities in a Han dynasty palace on a spring dawn.

3. Flowers and Bamboo

Hsu Wei excelled in painting landscapes, figures, flowers and insects, and bamboo and stones. Hsu Wei, in addition to his achievements in the scholarly arts, was also an important playwright. Hsu Wei is best known as a flower painter.

4. Shady Trees in a Summer Landscape

Tung Ch'i-ch'ang was a native of Hua-t'ing, near Shanghai. He was a civil service degree candidate of 1588, but is more famous for being an influential artist-connoisseur. He was a landscape painter who tended towards the styles of Tung Yuan and Chu-jan, two 10th-century painters who specialized in painting the soft rolling landscapes of the south.

5. Ducks Sleeping on a Lotus Bank

Lu Chi was a famous court painter at the Jen-chih Hall and was also provided with a sinecure post in the Imperial Bodyguard. In the Hung-chih era (1488-1505), during the middle Ming, Lu Chi was a famous court painter at the Jen-chih Hall and was also provided with a sinecure post in the Imperial Bodyguard. On a moonlit night in thick fog, four geese rest on a sand bar amidst lotuses and rushes. The composition only includes the foreground and middleground, and the background has been omitted

6. After the Line "Idly Watching Children Catch Willow Flowers"

Chou Ch'en style name Shun-ch'ing; Tung-ts'un, E-ch'ang san-jen, a native of Wu-chun modern Soochow, Kiangsu, studied landscape painting from Ch'en Hsien 1405-1496, achieving the methods of Sung 960-1279 painters, particularly the styles of Li Ch'eng 919-967, Kuo Hsi ca. 1001-1090, Ma Yuan fl 1189-1225, and Hsia Kuei fl 1180- He also excelled at figures with an archaic yet unusual style that is detailed yet free. His two most outstanding students were T'ang Yin 1470-1523 and Ch'iu Ying ca. 1494-

7. Returning Late from a Spring Outing

Tai Chin was a native of Ch'ien-t'ang (modern Hangchow). He is said as a youth to have studied painting under local artists, specializing and achieving fame in the fields of landscapes and figures During the Hsuan-te reign (1426-1435), he was recommended for service at court, where he was admired by the nobility for his great skill. His fellow painters, however, became envious and later dismissed him Tai Chin thereupon returned home to the south, where he continued to paint in Hangchow. With numerous students, he came to have an enormous influence on painting at the time Consequently, later generations have revered him as the founder of the Che School that emerged afterwards in the area

8. Plum Blossoms and Wild Bird

Ch'en Hung-shou (style name Chang-hou; self-sobriquet Lao-lien), a native of Chu-chi in Chekiang, spanned the Ming and Ch'ing dynasties. After the fall of the Ming, he took the sobriquets Hui-ch'ih, Wu-ch'ih, Yun-men seng, excelling in painting and calligraphy. In figure painting, he often used solid forms and taught drapery lines, revealing the features of Li Kung-lin's (1049-1106) and Chao Meng-fu's (1254-1322) styles.

9. Enjoying Antiquities

Tu Chin was a native of Tan-t'u, but later resided in Nanking. He took the civil service exams, but failed, thereafter devoting himself to poetry, writing, calligraphy, and painting. This work may have been two hanging scroll panels mounted as a standing screen.