Dai Jin Wu Wei Painting Collection

Author: Dai Jin
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-07-01
Features: Dai Jin (1389-1462) was a prominent painter of the Ming Dynasty. His courtesy name was Wenjin, also known as Wenjie, styled Jing'an, and also known as Yiquan Mountain Man. He was from Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang). He excelled in landscape, figure, flower and fruit, and feathered painting, with meticulous and extensive imitations. In his early years, he was a craftsman specializing in making gold and silver jewelry, later turning to painting and selling his works for a living. His landscape painting drew inspiration from Li Tang, Ma Yuan, and Xia Gui, with versatile techniques and a vigorous style that broke away from the thick and somber style of the Southern Song Dynasty. His divine portraits and flower-and-bird paintings were exceptionally refined. In figure painting, he drew inspiration from Wu Daozi and Li Longmian, inventing the "silkworm head and mouse tail" brushwork, with dynamic and bold strokes. His style was highly influential during his time, inspiring numerous painters such as Wu Wei, Zhang Lu, Wang Shixiang, Fang Yue, Dai Quan, Xia Zhi, He Shi, Xie Binge, Xie Shichen, Wang Zhao, Jiang Song, and Xia Cai, forming the "Zhe School." Thus, Dai Wenjin is known as the founder of the Zhe School. His representative works include: River Village in Snow, Landscape and Figures, Long Scroll of Stream and Mountain, Clear Scenery of Rivers and Mountains, Returning Boats in Wind and Rain, The Emperor Inquiring the Way, Fishing by the Wei River, and Spring Outing and Return.
Wu Wei (1459-1508) was a renowned painter of the Ming Dynasty. His courtesy names were Ciweng, Shiyi, and Lufu, and he styled himself Xiaoxian. He was from Jiangxia (now Wuhan, Hubei) and later settled in Jinling. He served as an imperial painter. During the reign of Emperor Xiaozong, he was appointed as a hundred households of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and granted the seal of "Painting" (Painting Champion). He was raised by Qian Xin and accompanied his son in studying, gaining opportunities to practice painting. After the age of twenty, he moved to Jinling, and his reputation in painting had already grown. His painting style was similar to Dai Jin's. He excelled in landscape painting, with strong brushwork, and was particularly skilled in freehand line drawing of figures. He was renowned alongside Du Jin, Shen Zhou, and Gu Yi. His brushwork was unrestrained, splashing ink like clouds, leaving onlookers astonished. His works were meticulous and well-organized, earning admiration from all. His disciples included Jiang Song, Zhang Lu, Song Chen, Jiang Gui, Song Chengchun, and Wang Yi, forming the "Jiangxia School." His representative works include: Picking Ginseng, Companions in the , Zhi Immortal, Fish Boats in Stream and Mountain, as well as freehand line drawings of Figures and Immortals.