Dong Qichang

Artist, scholar

• Born: 1555
• Birthplace: Huating, Songjiang, China
• Died: 1636
• Place of death: Shanghai, China

Also Known As: Wenmin, Tung Ch'i-ch'ang

Significance: Dong Qichang was a Chinese painter, calligrapher, scholar, and art critic who was considered one of the foremost art figures of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Dong was extremely knowledgeable in the study of ancient Chinese art and used this knowledge to inform his theories about landscape painting and calligraphy. He was a member of the literati class of Chinese painters, and his work had a major impact on the course of Chinese art history.

Background

Dong Qichang was born in 1555 in the Huating county of China's Songjiang district, now a part of modern Shanghai, to a family of little prominence. He began studying calligraphy in his teens before moving onto painting. He studied the works of Chinese calligraphist Yan Zhenqing as well as artists from other eras including the Wei, Jin, Tang, and Song dynasties. Although little is known about his early years, Dong is documented as having passed the jinshi (civil service examination) in 1589. In the years that followed, he held a number of government positions, including as a Hanlin bachelor and a minister of rites at court. He also served as a tutor to Emperor Wanli's heir apparent in 1598 before retiring from government work to his hometown in 1599. He tutored a few pupils in his retirement, most importantly Wang Shimin, grandson of the retired grand secretary, who shared Dong's passion for collecting old art.

Dong was primarily known throughout his lifetime for his calligraphy, landscape painting, and collected writings in art theory. His calligraphy primarily followed the styles of Song dynasty calligrapher Zhao Mengfu and Ming dynasty calligrapher Wen Zhengming. His approach was known to be disciplined and methodical, and he encouraged the reproduction of older works in newer, innovative styles. Dong believed in channeling the spirit of the old masters while producing works that connected to tradition without replicating old styles.

Dong also applied these methods to his paintings. His influences included the tenth-century painters Dong Yuan and Juran. He was also a fan of a group of Yuan dynasty painters called the Four Masters, known for their selfless artistic pursuits. This group included Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, Ni Zan, and Wang Meng. These artists' influence on Dong's paintings was evident in his style, but his aesthetics went beyond these masters in his exclusion of traditional beauty ideals. His landscapes were severe and featured strange representations of space. His methods were a reaction against contemporary landscape painting, which he viewed as self-indulgent and perverse. Dong sought to reform landscape art through critical analysis of ancient works. He also believed in making a spiritual connection with the art of old masters while avoiding imitation and encouraging self-expression.

Life's Work

Dong's writings on Chinese art remain one of the most important contributions of his career. His early pursuits involved tracking the lineage and artistic traditions of ancient masters, dividing his findings into the Northern and Southern Schools. Dong used this division to account for two kinds of ancient painters, professional painters and scholar painters. Professional painters were artists who attended art school and were disciplined to create art in a specific way. Scholar painters created art in the spirit of intellectualism and with no professional instruction. Scholar artists were known as literati and categorized in the Southern School.

Dong considered the artist Wang Wei the founder of the Southern School. The art of the Southern School was characterized as spontaneous and instinctive. Literati were capable of expressing their feelings in their work. These artists built upon the style of ancient masters and created their own unique styles of art in the process. The Northern School, in contrast, was described as calculated, overly detailed, and repetitive. Dong found the naturalness of the Southern School more authentic than the studied techniques of the Northern School. He clearly favored the Southern School in his writings, which angered some of his colleagues who had attended professional art schools.

Dong's preference was rooted in his belief that simply copying the details of a landscape did not evoke the scene's true spirit. To Dong, the best art expressed much and detailed little. He deliberately distorted the spatial attributes of his work and often included text on top of his paintings. Dong's art theory had a strong impact on Chinese art for the next two centuries.

Throughout his lifetime, Dong travelled around the country, taking in the works of ancient artists. His journeys inspired many paintings, and the locales he visited were often the subject of his works. Landscapes and calligraphy were his primary output in his later life, though some of his works had taken on a less free-spirited quality by this point. He also began producing his own renderings of existing paintings, reimagining the works through a literati scope. He continued to paint right up until the year of his death in 1636.

Impact

Dong's views on Chinese art theory and history had a profound impact on future generations of artists and influenced how those generations studied Chinese art. His work was highly regarded by the Orthodox School of artists, which included his former pupil Wang Shimin. His calligraphy style was much admired by the Qing dynasty (1644–1911/1912) rulers and court calligraphers. He also amassed a huge art collection during his lifetime that he passed down after his death. Some critics believe Dong's influence extended well beyond Asia and into Europe, with his work potentially affecting the modernist developments of nineteenth-century European landscape painting.

Principal Works

Artwork

Wanluan Thatched Hall, 1597

Calligraphy in Running Script, 1607

Shady Trees in Summer, 1607

The Qingbian Mountains, 1617

Eight Views of Autumn Moods, 1620

Shaded Dwellings among Streams and Mountains, 1622–25

River and Mountains on a Clear Autumn Day, 1624–27

Landscapes after Old Masters, 1630

Bibliography

"Creativity: Painting and Calligraphy from the Brush of Dong Qichang." National Palace Museum, theme.npm.edu.tw/exh105/dongqichang/en/page-2.html#main. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.

"The Development of Landscape Painting in China: The Song (960–1279) through the Ming (1368-1644) Dynasties." Asian Art Museum, education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/development-landscape-painting-china-song-960%E2%80%931279-through. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.

Encyclopedia of China: History and Culture. Edited by Dorothy Perkins, Routledge, 1999.

Fong, Wen, et al. Landscapes Clear and Radiant: The Art of Wang Hui (1632–1717). Edited by Maxwell K. Hearn, Yale UP, 2008.

Kleiner, Fred S. Gardner's Art through the Ages. Wadsworth, 2013.

"Shaded Dwellings among Streams and Mountains." Metropolitan Museum of Art, www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1979.75.2/. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.

"Synthesis and Departure in Tradition: Painting, Calligraphy, and Dong Qichang (1555–1636)." National Palace Museum, www.npm.gov.tw/en/Article.aspx?sNo=04006856. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017.