Zhe school (painting)

The Zhe school was a significant school of Chinese painting that flourished primarily during the Ming dynasty (1368-1644). It was characterized by a conservative approach, upholding and emulating the artistic styles of the Southern Song dynasty, particularly those of the Ma-Xia school.

Key features of Zhe school paintings include strong, angular brushstrokes, emphasis on dramatic landscapes often populated with sparse figures, and a preference for ink monochrome or lightly colored paintings. Compositionally, they frequently employed asymmetrical balance and dramatic foreshortening. The style aimed to evoke a sense of power and grandeur, reflecting the political and social context of the early Ming court.

The school's founder and most prominent figure was Dai Jin (1388-1462), a professional painter from Qiantang (modern Hangzhou, Zhejiang province), from which the school derives its name ("Zhe" being an abbreviation for Zhejiang). While Dai Jin himself was a versatile artist, his followers largely adhered to a more narrowly defined aesthetic based on his interpretations of Southern Song masters.

The Zhe school enjoyed official patronage, particularly during the reigns of the early Ming emperors. However, its conservative style was later criticized by literati painters who championed the more individualistic and expressive approaches of the Wu school. By the mid-Ming dynasty, the Zhe school's influence had waned, although its artistic principles continued to be practiced by some artists.