Lü Ji (style name Tingzhen, sobriquet Leyu) was a famous court painter of the middle Ming dynasty. He entered the court under the Chenghua Emperor (r. 1465-1487) and became highly regarded by the Hongzhi Emperor (r. 1488-1505), serving in the Renzhi Palace and rising to the sinecure post for painters of Commander of the Imperial Bodyguard. Lü Ji excelled at rendering emotive scenes, using mostly centered brushwork rounded and upright with force, his coloring bright and beautiful but not lacking in warmth and solidity. This exhibition, showing at National Palace Museum in Taipei until March 25, 2012 (http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/visiting/exhibit/exhibit_04.htm?docno=750), not only includes representative examples of Lü Ji's bird-and-flower painting but also several imitations that demonstrate the art and influence of his style.