The painting theory in late Ming Dynasty has a strong literary--or even Poetic tendency，that is , the esthetic concept of painting is being directed towards poetic esthetics, such as subtle understanding，natural disposition and intelligence, MOR HSI.，etc. put forth by the painting school of literary men led by Tung Chi-chang. Tung，in late Ming Dynasty when painting sects rivaled each other, each inheriting its own methods taught by their own teachers judged merits, saying that the south painting sect of literary men is the sudden realization of the masters of the Zen school，and that the North Sect is the gradual understanding of colorful landscape，puts forward the theory of [North and South separate painting Sects] of literary men，catergorize himself in a department of the South Sect and cites the popular term in literature，[subtle understanding] as the supreme model. According to Mr. Hsiu Fu-Kuan，the artistic purports illustrated by Mr.Tung are derived from esthetic thoughts of Chuang-Tze and metaphysics in Wei Chin Dynasty. How lever，why does Tung Chi-chang evaluate artistic values by means of the theories of Sudden realization of the South Sect and gradual understanding of the North sect? What's the relation between the painting thoughts of those days and thoughts of the Zen Sect of Buddhism? How is the development of the Zen Sect of Buddhism in late Ming Dynasty?
This thesis studies the reciprocity between the thoughts of Zen Sect of Buddhism and Chinese art from the reverse side of Mr. Hsiu Fu-Kuan's assertion; through the historical phenomena of different sects and branches, probes, the composition of power and ups and downs of influence behind each thinking theory，to explain how the painting theory of late Ming Dynasty，under various societies and thoughts, moved towards poetic esthetics.
