Lingnan School

The Lingnan School (Chinese: 嶺南畫派) of painting, also called the Cantonese School, is a style of painting from the Guangdong or Lingnan region of China.^[1]

This school reflects a style of painting founded in the 19th century in Guangdong province by Two Gaos and one Chen - Gao Jianfu, Gao Qifeng and Chen Shuren, also known as "The three greats of Lingnan" (嶺南三傑).^[2]

The Lingnan style of painting was revolutionary and innovative compared to traditional Chinese painting, influenced by Nihonga visual arts and by the early Qing painter, Yun Shouping (1633–1690).^[3][4][5]

In the late 19th century, scholars in China broke through entrenched conservative thoughts and began to actively seek to create and promote new schools and styles of art. This not only cultivated a large amount of ideological progress among social elites but also gave birth to the "eclectic fusion of the Han Chinese and Western style, ancient and modern" Lingnan school. The Lingnan school advocates the introduction of Western painting styles with the integration of Han Chinese and Western paintings, in the spirit of revolution of Oriental arts, while maintaining traditional Han Chinese painting techniques.

This school of painting enjoys considerable fame among Han Chinese peoples. Along with Cantonese opera and Cantonese music, they are known as the "three fineries of Lingnan" (Jyutping: Ling5 Naam4 Saam1 Sau3; Traditional Chinese: 嶺南三秀). Meanwhile, the Lingnan school is listed along with Beijing and Tianjin painting school and Shanghai school as the three pillars of modern Chinese painting.^[6]