Bada Shanren

Zhu Da (1626-1705), also known as "Bada Shanren" (art or literary name), a painter who lived in the late Ming (1368- 1644) and early Qing (1616-1911) dynasties. Being adept at using splash-ink techniques, Zhu Da created many freehand brush works, among which those with flowers or birds as themes are especially well-known. He owed his painting style to the spirit of nature, painting extravagant images with concise strokes, which are original and innovative.

Bada Shanren had a unique painting style and a special understanding of layouts and structure; he sought completeness from the incompleteness of what he painted, which reflected his aloof, proud and cynical mindset. For example, the fish, ducks and birds he painted are mostly rolling their eyes to the sky, posing obstinate gestures, which could mirror Bada Shan- ren's own solitude and moral integrity. His strokes were not restricted by any space rules in painting — instead of sketching the outer look of subjects, he highlighted the ideas and focused on expressing his inner world. Later generations consider Bada Shanren as a brilliant master of Chinese freehand brushwork. Wu Changshuo from the Qing Dynasty and Qi Baishi in contemporary times are among the famous painters who were deeply influenced by Bada Shanren.

八大山人

朱耷（1626—1705）， 明末清初畫家， 號“八大山人”。他的繪畫以大筆水墨寫意而成，并善于潑墨，尤以花鳥畫著稱于世，在創作上取法自然、筆墨簡練、形象夸張、獨具新意。

八大山人畫風、章法結構特立獨行，在不完整中求完整，反映出一種孤傲落寞、憤世嫉俗的心境。例如，他畫的魚、鴨、鳥等，多以白眼向天，充滿倔強之氣，以此來表現自己遺世獨立的操守。他筆墨不受空間表現規律制約，不去模仿其形，而是勾畫意境，描繪心靈世界，并被后世尊為中國古典寫意畫的杰出大師，如清代的吳昌碩、近代的齊白石等著名畫家，都深受其影響。