Many critics consider landscape to be the highest form of Chinese painting. The time from the Five Dynasties period to the Northern Song period (907-1127) is known as the Great Age of Chinese Landscape. In the north, artists such as Jing Hau, Fan Kuan, and Guo Xi painted pictures of towering mountains. They used strong black lines, ink wash, and sharp, dotted brushstrokes to suggest rough stone. In the south, Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, and other artists painted the rolling hills and rivers of their native countryside in peaceful scenes done with softer, rubbed brushwork. These two kinds of scenes and techniques became the classical styles of Chinese landscape painting.
During the Southern Song period (1127-1279), court painters such as Ma Yuan and Xia Gui used strong black brushstrokes to sketch trees and rocks and pale washes to suggest misty space.
Many Chinese artists were attempting to represent three-dimensional objects and to master the illusion of space. But another group of painters pursued very different goals. At the end of the Northern Song period, the famous poet Su Shi and the scholar-officials in his circle became serious amateur painters. They created a new kind of art in which they used their skills in calligraphy (the art of beautiful writing) to make ink paintings. From their time onward, many painters stopped trying to describe their subject's outward appearance. Instead, they strove to freely express their feelings and to capture the inner spirit of their subject.
During the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368), painters joined the arts of painting, poetry, and calligraphy by inscribing poems on their paintings. These three arts worked together to express the artist's feelings more completely than any one art could do alone.
Some painters of the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) continued the traditions of the Yuan scholar-painters. This group of painters was known as the Wu School. It was led by the artist Shen Zhou. Another group of painters was known as the Zhe School. It revived and transformed the styles of the Song court.
During the early Qing dynasty (1644-1912), painters known as Individualists rebelled against many of the traditional rules of painting. They found ways to express themselves more directly through free brushwork. In the 1700's and 1800's, great commercial cities such as Yangzhou and Shanghai became art centers where wealthy merchant-patrons encouraged artists to produce bold new works.
In the late 1800's and 1900's, Chinese painters were increasingly exposed to the art of Western cultures. Some artists who studied in Europe rejected Chinese painting. Other artists tried to combine the best of both traditions. Perhaps the most beloved modern painter was Qi Baishi. He began life as a poor peasant and became a great master. His most famous works depict flowers and small animals.