Wu Wei Oriental Shuo stole peach figure, Massachusetts Art Museum collection, USA
In 1459, Wu Wei was born in Jiangxia (present-day Wuchang County), Hubei Province, a family of literati and scholars, his father was addicted to alchemy and his family fell in the middle of the road, and shortly after Wu Wei was born, his father died of illness. The young Wu Wei was fortunate to adopt an official who became Wu Wei's earliest art trainer. When Wu Wei was young, he naturally came into contact with the works of Dai Jin, a Zhejiang master who was known as the "first of the national dynasty" at that time, and had the opportunity to copy and study these masterpieces, and with his artistic talent, he quickly grasped the essence and beauty of brush and ink in Dai Jin's paintings, and transformed it into the energy of future artistic development.
Ming Dynasty Wu Wei Reading Under the Tree, Collection of the Palace Museum
At about seventeen years old, Wu Wei had become famous in painting, and he came to Jinling (now Nanjing, Jiangsu), the most luxurious and prosperous city in the south. With his extraordinary painting talent, he was appreciated by Zhu Yi, the prince of Chengguo, who was highly respected and respected. In Wu Wei's paintings, there are often signs of "Xiao Dai (Xian)", which comes from Zhu Yi's nickname for him, and the name of "Xiao Dai" is also combined with the wonderful painting style created by Wu Wei, becoming one of his most easily recognizable signs.
Ming Dynasty Wu Wei Hanshan Snow Collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei
After the age of twenty, Wu Wei's reputation had spread far and wide in the capital, and even reached the emperor's ears, and he was immediately recruited into the court. Perhaps never before has a Zhejiang painter been so admired as Wu Wei, whose painting skills were favored by three emperors and entered the court twice, one of which was given the honor of "Painting Champion". The history of painting once recorded a legend of Wu Wei drawing the "Songfeng Map" in front of Emperor Xianzong, saying that he "knelt over the ink, smeared with his hands, and the wind and clouds were tragically born in the barrier", Wu Wei's impromptu performance was finally praised by the emperor blurting out: "True Immortal Pen Also".
Ming Dynasty Wu Wei painted a portrait of Beihai, collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei
Because of Wu Wei's personality, he was not bound by secular norms, and he was often drunk and dressed upside down, like the behavior of the famous northern Song Dynasty calligrapher Mi Fu. Artists in this category naturally failed to conform to the etiquette norms of the court and were susceptible to jealousy or criticism. So Wu Wei eventually left the Beijing court like a cage and returned to Jinling. Wu Wei's bohemian personality coincides with the atmosphere of freedom and indulgence in jinling. Here, he not only accepted the patronage of the princes and nobles, but also had close contact with the literati circle of Jinling, such as the famous painters Shi Zhong and Guo Xu, who all had the same bold and uninhibited personality and rough painting style as Wu Wei, reflecting the "wandering wind" in Jinling culture and art at that time.
Ming Dynasty Wu Wei Jiangshan Yule Tu Collection of the Palace Museum
Wu Wei's landscape paintings are full of dynamics and the tension of brush and ink, especially the effect of free and rapid brushing and ink dripping, so that the picture is full of dynamic beauty, which makes him the most outstanding painter after Dai Jin. Wu Wei's figure paintings have also received high praise in the Jinling literati circle. He has a style learned from the Northern Song Dynasty Li Gonglin's "white drawing" figures, such as "No Yuantu", the pen is smooth and smooth, the ink color is light and elegant, with the "literati painting" elegant style and taste; the other is inheriting the tradition of the Tang Dynasty painter Wu Daozi, showing strong brush and ink lines, and extensive and heroic painting style, which has a greater influence on the figure painting of the late Zhejiang school.
Ming Dynasty Wu Wei Meng Mu Sanqian Collection of Shanghai Museum
In his later years, Wu Wei's creative power did not decline in any way, in addition to his continuous creation in his hometown of Jiangxia and Jinling, his exquisite painting skills were also loved by the literati in Suzhou. For example, the Suzhou Wu school painter Shen Zhou had contacts with Wu Wei, and a new generation of artists, such as Zhu Yunming, Tang Yin and others, have also repeatedly inscribed inscriptions on Wu Wei's paintings to affirm his artistic achievements. In 1508, when the newly enthroned Emperor Mingwuzong sent an envoy to prepare to recruit Wu Wei into the palace for the third time, Wu Wei, who was only fifty years old, actually died suddenly because of the long-term indulgence and debauchery. This great zhejiang painter of the second generation was finally buried in Jinling, and he was accompanied by the romantic and luxurious city that gave birth to his art for life.
Wu Wei Pipa Beauty Picture Collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art, USA
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