Wei Zhihuang
Ming Wu School landscape painter
Wei Zhihuang(魏之璜) (1568–1647), courtesy name Shuka(叔考), was from Shangyuan (present-day Nanjing) and was a painter during the Ming Dynasty. He came from a poor family and supported them by selling his paintings. In calligraphy, he followed the style of the 'Huangting Jing,' and in landscape painting, he drew inspiration from Song Dynasty artists while creating his own new ideas. His rocks, valleys, and trees varied a lot in style. In his later years, he painted with heavy ink and worn-out brushes, giving his works an aged and solid feel. He was also skilled at painting flowers with light ink and Buddhist images. His compositions were unique, and he is considered a later follower of the Wu School, with some connection to the ancient painting style interpreted by Shen Zhou. In 1609, during the 37th year of the Wanli reign, he created the fan painting 'Waiting to Cross at the Pine Cliff.' In 1627, in the 7th year of the Tianqi reign, he helped edit Hu Zhengyan's 'Shizhuzhai Painting Manual.' In 1633, the 6th year of the Chongzhen reign, he completed the 'Ink Plum Scroll,' which was 882 centimeters long. By 1645, the 2nd year of the Shunzhi reign, he was still painting works like 'Forest Peaks in Mist and Rain.' His surviving works include the long scroll 'Colored Landscape' in the Palace Museum in Beijing, 'Twenty-Four Flower Almanac' scroll in the U.S., and 'Autumn Enters the Empty Mountain.' At the end of the Ming Dynasty, he and his brother Wei Zhike(魏之克) were both famous in the art world and often received painting requests from scholars and officials.