Lan Ying (藍瑛, ca.1585-1664), courtesy name Tianshu (田叔), was a Chinese painter of landscapes, human figures, flowers and birds who was active during the late Ming dynasty (1368–1644).
Lan Ying was a native of Qiantang (modern Hangzhou). He is regarded as the founder of the Wulin School (Wulin was another name for Hangzhou). One of his pseudonyms was Xihu Waishi (西湖外史, Unofficial Historian of the West Lake), referring to the city’s famous lake. Historically, Lan Ying was classified by some Chinese art critics as the last of the professional painters working in the tradition of the Zhe School, a lineage that began with Dai Jin (戴進). However, Lan Ying’s style differed significantly from that of Dai Jin, because he drew much of his inspiration from the literati tradition, studying the works of Yuan painters such as Huang Gongwang (黃公望) and masters of the Wu School such as Shen Zhou (沈周), developing an elegant and eclectic style of his own. His painting influenced many others, such as Chen Hongshou (陳洪綬) and the Eight Masters of Jinlin (Nanjing).
