High Road into the Cloud --- Ni Yun-lin's Art of Painting and Its Cultural Value

Abstract

Ni Yun-lin, Painter in the Yuan Dynasty, had great influences in the history of Chinese painting, especially the history of painting of man-of-letters. He stepped over the spatio-temporal limitation and guided trend of painting of man-of-letters several hundred years later. Although he was familiar with Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, and was endowed with a kind, sentimental and sincere heart, the abnormality of political ruling of Meng and Yuan Dynasty together with his obstinate and unruly character determined since his birth his destiny living in seclusion. He re-organized the value system of human being and established a virtual spiritual homeland. His art of painting was a monument which stood like a giant at the top of the world ethnic arts, with an intangible, cold, secluded and lonely style of painting. It was Ni Yun-lin who pushed the quality of painting to perfection which was most impressive. ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR