The exhibition on style transformation paintings in the late period of Ming dynasty was presented in National Palace Museum， Taipei in 1977， which was the first time that these special artworks created by painters who were characterized by the transforming painting styles of Ming dynasty， appeared in the public eyes. There were many famous artists emerging in that period in which Wu Bin， Ding Yunpeng， Cui Zizhong and Chen Hongshou had achieved great success in figure paintings， taking this artistic type to a new height.

1977年，台北故宫博物院举办“晚明变形主义画家作品展”，率先将晚明具有变形风格的画家作品集合展出，称之为“晚明变形主义”，后来这一提法获学界广泛认同，成为描述晚明尚奇求怪艺术取向的代名词。晚明变形人物画以吴彬、丁云鹏、崔子忠、陈洪绶为代表，四人风格面貌各有不同，但都以尚奇求怪的个性化表达一扫当时画坛甜腻板结之风，不但拓展了自唐以来的传统人物画图式和笔墨语言，更使已日渐低迷的人物画在晚明焕发新的光彩。