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literati

Chinese and Japanese scholars
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literati, scholars in China and Japan whose poetry, calligraphy, and paintings were supposed primarily to reveal their cultivation and express their personal feelings rather than demonstrate professional skill. The concept of literati painters was first formulated in China in the Bei (Northern) Song dynasty but was enduringly codified in the Ming dynasty by Dong Qichang. In the 18th and 19th centuries, literati painting became popular with the Japanese, who exaggerated elements of Chinese composition and brushwork. See also Ike Taiga.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.