With the demise of the Yuan Dynasty, Suzhou became a gathering place for Chinese intellectuals. These included many well-known painters. According to historical records, some 150 painters, about one-fifth of all the Ming Dynasty painters, were in Suzhou, and they formed an influential school of painting. Historically Suzhou was also known as Wumen, and this painting school was named the Wumen Painting School . Shen Zhou was its most influential painter; other famous members were Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin and Qiu Ying.

Lofty Mount Lu by Shen Zhou

Shen Zhou (1427-1509) was a native of Changzhou. He was born into a wealthy intellectual family and developed a generous character. He received a good education and was proficient at writing poems and prose. He drew many small paintings before the age of 40, but in his later years switched to big landscape painting s such as Lofty Mount Lu and Interesting Garden of Luzhou .

By Shen Zhou　　

Shen was also good at flower and bird painting; these works form a transition to free-sketch flower and bird painting. Shen drew upon the inheritance from the painting traditions of the Song and Yuan dynasties and formed his own fresh and elegant painting style.

Old Trees By A Cold Stream by Wen Zhengming

Wen Zhengming was also a native of Changzhou. He was a student of Shen Zhou, so he obtained a solid grounding in painting and mastered good brushstroke techniques. He led a comfortable life as a scholar-official, and as a result he failed to develop a wide perspective in his creative work.

By Wen Zhengming

Wen's works can be divided into two types: bold black ink landscape paintings, such as Mountain Rain and Old Trees By A Cold Stream; and refined and elegant green landscape paintings in a meticulous style, such as Innumerable Mountains and Valleys. He lived for more than 90 years, and many people came to him to ask for his paintings when he was old. Some even made a living by pirating his paintings.

Court Lady in the Mengshu Palace by Tang Yin

Tang Yin was a native of Wu County and a student of Shen Zhou. He was accomplished in poetry, prose and calligraphy , and excelled especially in painting. He had an un-restrained personality, experienced many hardships in life and was poor and frustrated in his later years.

Soughing Pines on a Mountain Path by Tang Yin

Tang died in his fifties. Tang traveled to many beautiful mountains and rivers in his life. He followed the Southern Song Dynasty painting style but was not fettered by old conventions. He was good at landscape, flower and bird and figure paintings in both free sketches and fine brush work.

By Tang Yin

His paintings on folklore themes reveal the rich flavor of life, and his brushstrokes are fluid, vigorous and elegant. He inherited old traditions but created his own style. He left many works: the most famous ones are Soughing Pines on a Mountain Path, Playing a Stringed Instrument, Court Lady in the Mengshu Palace and Dreaming Under the Tree.

Wonderland of Peach by Qiu Ying

Qiu Ying was a native of Taicang, Jiangsu Province. His green-color landscape paintings, such as the Jian Pavilion , are marked by vigorous strokes and bright colors. His figure paintings, meticulously executed, are bright in color, accurate in portrayal, and vivid in expression.

By Qiu Ying

He also mastered the secrets of miniature painting, was familiar with Chinese folklore and had absorbed many skills from folk lantern painting, fan painting and wood block printing . He was also an expert in the reproduction of ancient pictures.

During the reigns of Emperors Longqing, Wanli and Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty (1567-1644), the Wu Painting School flourished. Though the subjects of the Wu School paintings were limited due to the painters' narrow life circles, and though some of their works were repetitive in content, these painters inherited traditional Chinese painting skills to give vivid presentation of the figures they depicted. They were all men of considerable culture and had their respective aesthetic pursuits. Their brushstroke techniques and creative painting methods had a tremendous impact on painters of later times.