Simple Exposition on Woody Flowers, Volume One

At one time, Ai Xuan was also said to be second only to Xu Xi and Zhao Chang. Ding Kuang, however, was not quite enough to run alongside Huang Quan and Xu Xi. The formal likeness in the works of Ge Shouchang lacked a certain meticulous refinement. Qi Taijian added scholarly effort to his work and eventually caught up, advancing with great speed.

Wu Yuanyu, although he studied under Cui Bai, was able to add his own methods. Even those who were originally practitioners of the Academy Style yuantie: the formal, precise style favored by the Imperial Painting Academy reformed their old habits because of Wu Yuanyu. They became slightly more unrestrained to express their inner thoughts, washing away the common habits of the time and following the footsteps of the predecessors; this was truly due to Wu Yuanyu's influence.

Regarding the bird-and-flower paintings of Liu Chang—when Mi Yuanzhang original: Mi Yuanzhang (米元章), the courtesy name of the famous calligrapher and critic Mi Fu saw them, he thought they were in no way inferior to those of Zhao Chang. Yue Shixuan first studied the art of painting danqing: literally "red and blue," a traditional term for painting by following the methods of Ai Xuan. Later, he realized the constraints and limitations of Ai Xuan's style. He alone was able to surpass his predecessors with his brush; his flowers and birds captured their life-force shengyi: the vital, living spirit of the subject. Compared to him, Ai Xuan seemed as lifeless as a man in the underworld original: jiuquan xiaren (九泉下人), literally "a person beneath the nine springs".

Wang Xiao studied under Guo Qianhui, but his technique perhaps did not quite reach that level. The flowers and birds created by Tang Xiya and his grandson Zhongzuo did not merely capture the physical form, but also succeeded in capturing the subjects' inherent nature. Liu Yongnian and Li Zhengchen each fully captured the various postures of their subjects in their works. Li Zhongxuan's flowers and birds were quite good, but they lacked an elegant charm and unrestrained grace.

Coming to the Southern Song Dynasty, though the times changed and locations shifted referring to the Song court's flight south after the fall of Kaifeng, the methods of painting transformed once again. Chen Ke looked back to the master Xu Xi, while Chen Shan looked back to Yi Yuanji. Therefore, their application of color was lighter and more diluted than that of Lin Chun or Wu Yuanyu.

Lin Chun and Li Di each had their own lineages passed down. Han You and Zhang Zhong followed the methods of Lin Chun. He Hao's brushwork followed Li Di. Liu Xingzu was even more dedicated to the style of Han You. Zhao Boju and Zhao Bosu passed down their own family traditions original: xinchuan jiafa (薪傳家法), literally "passing the torch of the family method".

As for Wu Yuanguang, Zuo Huanshan, Ma Gongxian, Li Zhong, Li Congxun, Wang Hui, Wu Bing, Ma Yuan, Mao Song, Mao Yi, Li Ying, Peng Gao, Xu Shichang, Wang Andao, Song Biyun, Feng, Xing, Zu, Lu, Zonggui, Xu Daoguang, Xie Sheng, Shan Bangxian, Zhang Ji, Zhu Shaozong, and Wang Youduan—all of them earned great reputations for their flower-and-bird paintings. Some had lineages that were not yet clearly recorded, while others already...