PAINTING OF THE YUAN DYNASTY (1279-1368) 

At the end of the 13th century the Song dynasty fell to Mongol invaders who then ruled for about 90 years under the name Yuan. For the Chinese people the Yuan was an age of economic decline, physical hardship, and spiritual anguish. It was also, however, a period of intense cultural creativity in several of the arts, especially drama, calligraphy and painting. Painting, in particular, underwent a major revolution, the most decisive in all its history. With the fall of the Song, the Imperial Painting Academy ceased its activity. The loss of traditional patronage set the scene for the ascendancy of scholar-amateurs (literati) to the center of the painting world; they were to hold that position for the remainder of the history of Chinese painting. The styles of painting that they developed often seemed amateurishly awkward in execution, especially when compared with the highly polished manners in which the professional and the Academy artists worked. Paintings by literati artists were usually done in ink monochrome, with the exception of archaistic styles in which the use of brighter colors imitated or alluded to ancient modes of painting. Symbolism often plays an important role in Yuan painting, and the goal of literati artists was personal expression rather than representation.

Suggested: Cahill, chpt. 9, 10