Copy, yet Original: Re-examining ‘fang Ni Zan’ paintings in the 15th - 17th centuries

Traditionally, Chinese painters favoured, and would be praised for, forming a link between contemporary work and classic paradigms. A typical example of this pursuit of antiquity is the ‘fang' (artistic imitation) paintings omnipresent in the art of the Ming-Qing period. There is more to making a copy than imitating an original; there is more to quoting a commonly known style than paying tribute to the master. Through an investigation of the ‘fang' paintings made in the style of the scholar-painter Ni Zan (1306-1372) during the 15th-17th centuries, this study unravels the social meaning of a style, the changing perceptions of the same model in different historical contexts, and the role of ‘fang' paintings in the evolution of style.