Shitao (Zhu Ruoji)

“If someone asks whether I follow the Southern or the Northern School, or whether either school follows me, I hold my belly laughing and reply, ‘I always use my own method!’” — Shitao

One of the most famous painters of the early Qing period, Shitao (born as Zhu Ruoji) was known as a highly individual painter, whose impressionistic and bold style broke with academic painting traditions. He used a number of courtesy names, including Daoji (道濟; Tao-chi), Kugua Heshang (Bitter Gourd Monk -苦瓜和尚), and Yuan Ji (Origin of Salvation - 原濟).