What is known about the painting of the Ming Dynasty？

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During the Ming Dynasty，literati paintings were prized above academic paintings by most educated people who understood the goal of revealing the inner character of the painter and depicting of nature，man，or various objects in such way as to communicating a sense of virtue，strength of purpose，or sensitivity towards the conditions of human life.

The most notable center for painting in the Later Middle Ming was Suzhou，where the Wu School flourished（1460-1560）.Designations like“Wu School”are Chinese classifications based on the artist’s residence，style and/or social status.One of the most famous of all literati painters was Shen Zhou（1427-1509）who stood at the beginning of the wu tradition.Although deeply influenced by the Yuan painting，he gradually developed a style of his own that conveyed genial warmth and a sense of ease and naturalness.Wen Zhengming（1470一1559）studied painting under Shen Zhou.He painted in many different styles during his long and productive life，and some of his paintings are influenced by painting styles which trace back to the Tang painting.The paintings of these two masters became so important that they chose to focus their entire lives on the mastery of their art，rather than pursue government careers.In the increasingly urban and educated society of the Ming，these artists actually made considerable income from their work，either in the form of cash”gifts”or of other goods”traded”for their art.

Literati circles at the highest levels often included groups of close friends and painters.Often literati painters would present paintings to friends with an invitation to write poetry and short essays on them.In this way，paintings sometimes seem to become more group expressions than mere individual expressions of the painter，capturing an essential Confucian element of society.