Duan Sheng (1262~1319), courtesy name Zhongji, was a native of Maoshan Village, Deqing County (now part of Qianshan Township). She was a famous female calligrapher, painter, and poetry writer in the Yuan Dynasty.
Guan Sheng was intelligent since he was a child, good at poetry and painting. He married Zhao Mengfu and was granted the title of Lady of the State of Wei. He died of illness on May 10th, the sixth year of the Yuan Dynasty, and was buried in Xitai Mountain, Donghengli (now Dongheng Village, Luoshe Township). He is good at painting ink and bamboo, and his brushwork is extremely clear. He also worked on landscapes, Buddhist statues, poetry and calligraphy. Author of 1 volume of "Mozhu Pu". The handed down works include "Water Bamboo Picture Scroll", "Autumn Deep Tie", "Mountain Tower Embroidered Buddha Picture", "Changming Temple Picture" and so on. Zhao Mengfu, whose courtesy name was Zi'ang and nicknamed Songxue, was quite accomplished in both calligraphy and painting. Zhao Mengfu was a high-ranking cultural official who lived in Jiangsu and Zhejiang and was promoted by Confucianism.
The ten most famous female painters of the Ming Dynasty
Liu Rushi (1618-1664), whose surname was Yang, whose given name was Aier, whose nickname was Rushi, also known as Yinglian and Hedongjun, was born in Wujiang, Jiangsu Province. people. She was a famous prostitute in Nanjing in her early years, and later became the concubine of Qian Qianyi, the "leader of Donglin". She is well-read in the literature, good at calligraphy and painting, and is a close friend of Huang Yuanjie in poetry and painting. Although Liu Rushi was gifted with talent, few of his paintings have survived.
Gu Mei (1619-1664), also known as Meisheng or Meizhuang, was born in Shangyuan (now Nanjing, Jiangsu Province). A famous prostitute in Qinhuai, she became the concubine of Gong Dingzi (also known as Xiaosheng), a Jinshi of Chongzhen. She changed her surname to Xu, and her names were Shancaijun and Meisheng. She was also called Mrs. Hengbo at that time. She is both talented and beautiful, good at poetry and painting, and proficient in music. He is especially famous for his painting of ink orchids, which is indistinguishable from Ma Shouzhen, who is famous for his orchids. Zhang Geng of the Qing Dynasty said in his "Guo Chao Painting Collection": "Gong Molan has his own ideas and does not follow the methods of his predecessors." In ancient times, whether women painters were in boudoirs or prostitutes, their paintings were not valued by others. This is why First, they lack a proactive spirit in creation. It is rare for Gu Mei Hua Lan to not follow the methods of his predecessors.
Li Yin (1610-1685), whose courtesy name was Jinsheng and whose nickname was Shi'an and Gongshan Yishi, was from Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang). She was a famous prostitute in Jiangsu and Zhejiang in her early years, and later married Ge Zhengqi, a young minister of Guanglu Temple, as a concubine. She is good at ink painting of landscapes, flowers and birds. Mi Fu and Mi Youren, father and son of the Song Dynasty, mostly used ink to dye their paintings, "hiding the trees and rocks with smoke and clouds". The flower-and-bird painting is based on the freehand style of Chen Chun (also known as Daofu, also known as Baiyangshanren) in the middle and late Ming Dynasty. He also takes nature as his teacher and draws creative inspiration from life. In the end, she avoided the usual shortcomings of female painters such as stingy composition and delicate brushstrokes in her creations, and was highly praised by her contemporaries for her free and casual and refreshing artistic style.
Wenchu ??(1595-1634), courtesy name Duanrong, was born in Changzhou (now Suzhou, Jiangsu). The Ming Dynasty painter Wen Congjian's daughter and the great-great-granddaughter of Wen Zhengming were skilled in the creation of paintings of flowers, plants, insects and butterflies. Flower-and-bird painting is the most popular subject matter for female painters. Due to women's delicate emotions and their unique preference for flowers and birds, as well as the aesthetic interest of flowers and birds to support objects, express aspirations and compare emotions, it prompts women who live in the middle to express their feelings about their lives. The most common flowers and birds are represented and have formed a certain scale of creation. Wenchu ??is one of the most representative painters. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Qian Qianyi gave Wenchu's art a very high evaluation: "The dyeing and sketching from life came up with new ideas, and the painter thought that this dynasty was unique." In the Qing Dynasty, Zhang Geng gave Wenchu ??more high praise in "The Continuation of the Painting Expedition of the Guochao". High praise: "The outstanding lady in Wuzhong who has outstanding artistic skills has been the only one in the past three hundred years." She was a beautiful prostitute from the south of the Yangtze River, and her skills in poetry, calligraphy, painting, flute, chess, equestrianism, and embroidery made her easily accessible to literati. "Yougong Lanzhu writes quickly, each with its own mood. Although he is a famous painter, he cannot pass it. "(Hu Yinglin's "The Remaining Words of A and B")
Fang Weiyi (1585-1668), whose name was Zhongxian and whose courtesy name was Weiyi, was from Tongcheng (now Anhui). The creation of figure paintings is more abundant among female painters. , there are paintings of ladies, paintings of religious figures, and works reflecting the social life of men. Among them, the Buddhist paintings that express the teachings of rescuing people from distress are the most common. Since women have fallen into the misery of the world, they naturally yearn for relief from their pain. Due to the ups and downs of her fate, she devoted her whole life to painting statues of Guanyin and Arhats with the teachings of rescuing people in order to seek spiritual sustenance.
Ma Shouzhen (1548-1604), nicknamed Xuan'er and Yuejiao, also known as Xianglan, was a native of Jinling (now Nanjing, Jiangsu). A famous prostitute in Qinhuai. She is smart and quick-witted, good at poetry and painting, and she values ??righteousness above wealth. He traveled among literati, and was especially friendly with the scribe Wang Zhideng (also known as Bogu). Ma Shouzhen became famous in the south of the Yangtze River for his exquisite orchid painting, so he called himself "Ma Xianglan". His works do not pay attention to the detailed depiction of the external form of orchids, but focus on expressing the inner spirit through the depiction of orchids. The orchids in his paintings have a refined and elegant atmosphere and wild interest, and are more similar to the flowers of male literati painters, especially the flowers of "Wumen School" Zhong Wen Zhengming and others, which reflects the prostitute's family's respect for male literati painters. To cater to and learn from others.
Li Cuilan, whose life is unknown, is good at creating figure paintings using the Song Dynasty Li Gonglin's white drawing method. The lines are soft on the outside and strong on the inside, full of expressive power
Qiu Zhu (year of birth and death unknown), active in the Ming Dynasty In the middle period, he was named Du Ling Neishi. He was originally from Taicang, Jiangsu Province and lived in Wu County. When women were bound by the heavy ethics and morals of feudal society and had no political status, no economic independence, and no autonomy in marriage, their painting art was not paid attention to by the society, and it was only in more professional books. There are simple and repetitive records about them. Qiu Zhu is only known as the daughter of Qiu Ying, a painter of the "Wumen School". She watched her father paint since she was a child, and gradually mastered the art of pen and ink. She was deeply influenced by Qiu Ying's meticulous style of figure painting. She is good at painting paintings of ladies. Her brushwork is meticulous and neat, and the colors are bright and bright without any kitsch or impetuousness.
Fu Daokun (date of birth and death unknown) was from Kuaiji (now Shaoxing, Zhejiang). Influenced by a good family cultural environment since childhood, he likes to calligraphy and is good at painting. "He specializes in landscapes and famous paintings of the Tang and Song Dynasties. His copying is lifelike, his brushwork is clear and beautiful, his expression is flying, and he is even better than his wife." ("History of Silent Poetry" by Jiang Shaoshu of the Ming Dynasty)