imited to
preparing the way for a single master. The logical outcome was an
independent movement to which the origin of modern Chinese painting can be
traced.

"Painting has two branches," the books say, "that of the North and that of
the South; the separation occurred in the T'ang period." These terms
_Northern School_ and _Southern School_ must not be taken literally. They
serve merely to characterize styles which, in the eighth century,
liberated themselves from methods demanding such close study and exact
definition of forms. The style of the Northern School is strong, vehement
and bold; the style of the Southern School is melancholy and dreamy. The
ideal of Northern China, impregnated with barbarian elements, is brought
into contrast with that of Southern China, heir to an already ancient
civilization, and under the spell of Taoist legends and the bewildered
dreams of its philosophers.[11]

[11] These divisions of Northern and Southern Schools do not
correspond, as might be imagined, to geographical limitations.
Painters of the South worked in the style of the North and painters of
the North likewise used the Southern style. Moreover the same master
was able to employ one or the other according to the inspiration of
the moment. These works were produced for a receptive people capable
of understanding both styles.

[Illustration: PLATE IX. HORSEMAN FOLLOWED BY TWO ATTENDANTS
Sung Period. Collection of A. Stoclet.]

Li Ssu-hsuen and his son Li Chao-tao (eighth century) are considered to be
the founders of the Northern School. The paintings attributed to them show
the character which the Northern style preserved up to the Ming period and
which was to be emphasized to the point of brutality at the hands of
certain masters in the Yuean period. At the outset, in its brilliancy and
precision, the Northern style held to a certain refinement of line; later
the line is drawn with a firm and powerful brush and strong colors are
applied almost pure.

In direct contrast the Southern style is made up of half-tints, with a
feeling of reserve and intentional restraint, which gives it, with equal
power, at times a more appealing charm. The lines are pliant, immersed in
shading, color is suggested in a subtle fashion and, in contrast to the
almost brutal emphasis of the North, it finds expression in chiaroscuro
and concealed harmonies.

The foundation of the Southern School is attributed to a great landscape