Abstract
The figure of the “recluse” has possessed cultural features of eremitism since its inception. As the image of seclusion was incorporated into Chinese painting, the Wu School of painting in the Ming dynasty played a crucial role. They changed the style of Yuan painting and employed the image of the “recluse” in their paintings, which consequently became both realistic and symbolic. In portraying the beauty of the “recluse,” the Wu School placed the figure at the center and the focal point of the painting, blending it with the surrounding landscape and highlighting its noble and classically elegant spiritual qualities. The Wu School also endowed the “recluse” with profound intellectual nature. In the paintings, these figures discuss metaphysics and comprehend the Dao; they use the “mind's eye” to mystically contemplate the landscape. Such scenes reveal the philosophical perspectives of the Wu School painters on the world and human existence.
Keywords
Wu School of painting, the recluse, classical elegance, the mind's eye
First Page
72
Last Page
81
Recommended Citation
Yuan, Xianpo. 2025. "Depiction of the “Recluse” in Chinese Painting: An Examination Centered on the Wu School of the Ming Dynasty." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 45, (6): pp.72-81. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol45/iss6/8
