On " The Wu School "

Ming Dynasty of China experienced 276 years from "Hongwu yuannian" (1368) to "Chongzhen 17th" (1644). The painting in this period mainly separated to two factions. "Zhe faction" which represented by Dai Jin of Qiantang in Zhejiang Province dominated the beginning of Ming Dynasty, and "Wu faction" dominated the mid and later period of Ming Dynasty."Wumen faction" and "Song jiang painting faction" combined by later people to be called "Wu faction". "Wu men" is another name of ancient Suzhou, due to "Wu guo" was established around Suzhou city in Jiangsu Province. It the Chinese painting development history, Wumen is a district which born many painters. According to Wumen painting records, there were more than 1220 reputable painters from Jin dynasty to Qing Dynasty. Especially in Ming Dynasty, there were lots of famous artists. And according to "Ming Hua Lu"written by Xu qin of Qing Dynasty, around 150 person were born in Wumen. The four most famous painters in Wumen are Shenzhou, Wen zhengming, Tangyin and Qiuying, they also be called the four most famous painters in Ming Dynasty. Meanwhile Wumen painting faction became the largest faction in Chinese painting history."Wumen painting faction" means the painting faction which formed and developed in Suzhou district during the middle of Ming Dynasty. This painting faction was led by Shenzhou and his student Wen zhengming. The name of "Wumen painting faction" was presented by Dong qichang, who is a famous painting and art theorist in the later Ming Dynasty and the leader of "Songjiang painting faction". Dong said it in the postscript of Du Qiong's "Nancun Bieshu Tu Ce".As an art genre in the history, wumen painting faction also experienced the gestation, rise, bloom and decline. The rise phase from the beginning of Ming Dynasty to "Tian shun" (1368-1465). In this phase, Suzhou experienced the war of Yuan Dynasty. Although its economy and arts had not anabiosis completely, it still was the activity center for poets and painters as the rich area and culture area of Jiangnan. The famous ones were Wangfu, Duqiong, liujue Chen ruyan, Shen liangchen, Shen hengji and so on, they all be called the forerunners of Wumen painting faction. They inherited the tradition of "writing with painting" from Zhao mengfu and Huang gongwang, Wang meng, Wu zhen, Ni Zan of Yuan Dynasty, and imparted this tradition through channels such relationships as fathers with sons, teachers with students, and kindred. Because theirarduous work, this faction finally became bloom in the middle ofMing Dynasty. The period from 1465 to 1567 is the silver age of Wumen painting faction, which was also the action age of plenty artists such as Shenzhou, Wen zhengming, Tangyin, Qiuying, Wenjia, Chenchun, Qiangu, Luzhi and the age lasting almost one hundred. After Jiajing, the painting style of most four famous painters had inherited later generations and the amount of painters were not decreased, but they all lacked creativities and limited by predecessors. Therefore, Wumen painting faction stepped to decline age and which lasting 70-80 years.The flourish and achievement which Wumen painting faction gained brought new style of painting to ming Dynastty and also brought profound influence to after time.As the generation of other art genre, the generation of Wumen painting faction is a social culture phenomena which had specifically social and historical condition and had nearly relating with local policy, culture, art, environment, custom in that age. During Ming Dynasty, the European Revival of Learning Activities was springing up in western countries and the rapid innovations happened in our feodal society as well. The development of commodity economy andcapitalism sprout made prosperity of handicraft industry and flourish of commodity economy in Suzhou district in the mid of Ming Dynasty. Suzhou had beautiful scenery and lots historic sites, it also the focus center for artists. Those people almost were withdraw from government and been looked as personages. They were both ports and painters, and always enjo...