Wen Zhengming
Suzhou's versatile master.
Wen Zhengming was a painter, calligrapher and poet who led the Wu School after Shen Zhou. He painted gardens, old trees and gatherings of scholars.
Wen Zhengming was born in 1470 in Suzhou into a family of officials. As a young man he did not do particularly well at school, but he studied literature, calligraphy and painting diligently. He learned to paint from Shen Zhou. For many years he tried to pass the state examinations but failed time after time.
In 1523, thanks to recommendations, he nevertheless obtained a post at the Hanlin Academy in Beijing. He was unhappy with the intrigues of the court and returned to Suzhou after a few years. He devoted the rest of his long life to art, poetry and the company of friends and pupils. He died in 1559, almost 90 years old, and is said to have worked right up to the end.
Wen Zhengming's style is refined and controlled. He painted landscapes, old trees, orchids and bamboo, and scenes of scholars meeting in gardens and pavilions. He favoured tall, narrow formats. He also made an album of views of the Humble Administrator's Garden in Suzhou, one of China's most famous gardens, which still survives. As a calligrapher he was especially admired for his small standard script, which he mastered even in old age.
After Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming became the leading figure of the Wu School. Through his sons, nephews and many pupils he shaped Suzhou's artistic life for generations. He is counted among the Four Masters of the Ming and regarded as an ideal of the scholar-artist.