Cui Zizhong

• Cui Zizhong was a painter of the Ming dynasty. His original name was Dan, with the courtesy name Kaiyu; later, he changed his name to Zizhong and courtesy name to Daomu. He was also known by the art names Beihai and Qingyin. Active in the late Ming period, he specialized in figure painting and paintings of elegant women, and was skilled in portraiture. His subjects often drew from Buddhist paintings and legendary stories. His painting style inherited the ancient techniques of the Tang and Song dynasties. Relatively independent, he had no specific master. His brushwork and coloring exuded an antique atmosphere, while his compositions and forms pursued originality and uniqueness. He was esteemed alongside Chen Hongshou, a master of late Ming stylistic transformation, and together they were referred to as "Chen in the South, Cui in the North."