LANDSCAPE PAINTING::
Chinese landscape painting flowered during the Song dynasty (AD 960-1279)but its two major schools,Northern and Southern, had originated with the Tang(AD 618-907)artists Li Sixun and Wang Wei (Wang mojie) respectively. The former,together with his son, created the technique known as goule(contour drawing), with rich colours. Wang Wei began the style of bold and vigorous brushstrokes softened by light ink-washes.
Dong Qichang,art critic of the Ming (1368-1644),was the first to define the two major schools of Chinese landscape painting.Though he tended to favour the Southern school and disparage the Northern style, he did put forward some views that were original, objective and constructive.He distinguished the two schools on the basis of the brushwork of famous artists of different historical periods.The brushwork of the Southern or Literary, school, characterized by a strle known as xieyi(literrally, to 'write ideas'),was supple in general appearance, but the individual strokes were firm. It is akin to Western Impressionism with free brushwork and little attention to form and form and detail. Most of today's painters in Chinese work in the style of this school.
In the Northern, or Academic, school, characterized by a style known as gongbi(literally 'fine brushwork' )and which antedated the xieyi style, it was the reverse: the individual strokes were supple, but the overall appearance was firm. It is more like Western realism-meticulous brushwork and close attention to detail. Gongbi artists normally signed their paintings 'made by' whereas xieyi autists would put 'written by'.
Landscape painting of the Ming dynasty is best represented by the Wu(Suzhou) school. This was a period when Literary painting flourished. Some Ming painters espoused the Northern school, but they had few followers. The six great painters of the early Qing(1644-1911) also all favoured the Southern school.