Dai Jin

Dai Jin lived in Hangzhou, where the old Southern Song court had once ruled. He spent his days sketching boats along the river and collecting Ming-era scrolls in the same tea houses where scholars argued about art. He had a habit of borrowing Song masters’ compositions, just to see if he could make them feel new again.

In the mid-1400s, the Ming court wanted its own look, so Dai and a small group of painters dusted off the dramatic cliffs and sharp, diagonal brushwork of the old Southern Song style. They mixed in brighter ink and looser figures, creating a recognizable “Zhe School” brand. Critics later said they were copying, but Dai argued he was reviving what the Song had started before the Mongols arrived.

Look for cliffs that rise like jagged teeth, travelers dwarfed by towering peaks, and distant rivers painted with a single, steady line. Dai’s skies are often open and pale, letting the ink-heavy mountains carry the weight of the scene.