Research topic: Chu Ta

Chu Ta or Zhu Da , c.1626-c.1705, Chinese painter and calligrapher, also known as Pa-ta-shan-jen or Bada Shanren. Said to have been a descendant of the imperial Ming family, he was a child prodigy, a poet at 7 and a painter by his teens. Becoming a monk after the fall of the dynasty, in 1678 he apparently suffered a nervous breakdown, was unable to speak for a number of years, and became known for his fits of madness and eccentric behavior. He left the monastary and, despite his afflictions, became a founder of the school of painting known as Ch'ing. Most of his works are small-scale spontaneous... Read more