The Six Masters of the early Qing period was a group of major Chinese

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 artists who worked in the 17th and early 18th centuries (Qing dynasty

Qing Dynasty

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

). Also known as orthodox masters, they continued the tradition of the scholar-painter, following the injunctions of the artist-critic Dong Qichang

Dong Qichang

Dong Qichang , courtesy name Xuanzai , was a Chinese painter, scholar, calligrapher, and art theorist of the later period of the Ming Dynasty.-Painter:...

 late in the Ming Dynasty

Ming Dynasty

The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...

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The Six Masters include the flower painter Yun Shouping

Yun Shouping

Yun Shouping , also known as Nantian , was a major artist of the early Chinese Qing dynasty. He was regarded as one of the "Six Masters" of the Qing period, together with the Four Wangs and Wú Lì.-Biography:...

 and the landscapists Wu Li

Wu Li

Wú Lì ; ca. 1632-1718 was a Chinese landscape painter and poet during the Qing Dynasty ....

 and the Four Wangs

Four Wangs

The Four Wangs were four Chinese landscape painters in the 17th century, all called Wang . They are best known for their accomplishments in shan shui painting.-The painters:...

: Wang Shimin

Wang Shimin

Wáng Shímǐn ; ca. 1592-1680 was a Chinese landscape painter during the Qing Dynasty .Born in the Kiangsu province, Wang grew up in an artistic, scholarly environment...

, Wang Jian

Wang Jian (Ming)

Wang Jian ; ca. 1598-1677 was a Chinese landscape painter during the Qing Dynasty .Wang was born in Taicang in the Jiangsu province. His style name was 'Xuanzhao' and his pseudonyms were 'Xiangbi' and 'Ranxiang anzhu' . Wang's precise color style of painting was influenced by Dong Yuan...

, Wang Yuanqi

Wang Yuanqi

Wang Yuanqi was a Chinese painter of the Qing dynasty.Wang was born in Taicang in the Jiangsu province and tutored in painting by his grandfather Wang Shimin . His style name was 'Mao-ching ' and his sobriquet was ' Lu-t'ai'. Wang is a member of the Four Wangs and Six Masters of the early Qing...

, and Wang Hui. The works of the Six Masters are generally conservative, cautious, subtle, and complex in contrast to the vigorous and vivid painting of their “individualist” contemporaries.

One of the most famous works is the White Clouds over Xiao and Xiang, hanging scroll

Hanging scroll

A hanging scroll is one of the many traditional ways to display and exhibit Chinese painting and calligraphy. Displaying the art in such way was befitting for public appreciation and appraisal of the aesthetics of the scrolls in its entirety by the audience. The traditional craft involved in...

 after Zhao Mengfu

Zhao Mengfu

Zhao Mengfu courtesy name Ziang , pseudonyms Songxue , Oubo , and Shuijing-gong Dao-ren , was a prince and descendant of the Song Dynasty, and a Chinese scholar, painter and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty.He was recommended by the Censor-in-chief Cheng Jufu to pay an audience...

 by Wang Jian (one of the Four Wangs

Four Wangs

The Four Wangs were four Chinese landscape painters in the 17th century, all called Wang . They are best known for their accomplishments in shan shui painting.-The painters:...

), ink and colour on paper, 1668, which is exhibited in the Freer Gallery of Art

Freer Gallery of Art

The Freer Gallery of Art joins the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery to form the Smithsonian Institution's national museums of Asian art. The Freer contains art from East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Islamic world, the ancient Near East, and ancient Egypt, as well as a significant collection of...

, Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

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