清 任頤 軸|Man on a Bridge

Ren Yi (Ren Bonian)

dated 1889 · Hanging scroll; ink on bark paper · Asian Art

Ren Yi, like his contemporary and friend Xugu (1823–1896), experimented with the realistic rendering of natural scenery instead of producing traditional landscapes composed of conventional compositions and brushstroke formulas. Here, he used irregular patches of wash and hatching to convey the impression of naked branches. Ren approached the picture as a Western artist sketching nature might have, asking "How can I render what I see?" rather than attempting to imitate Western art. Photographs, regularly published in newspapers and magazines in Shanghai as early as the 1870s, shattered traditional Chinese concepts of picture making and had more to do with changing attitudes in landscape painting in the late nineteenth century than any direct influence of Western art.

Artist

Ren Yi (Ren Bonian)

Date

dated 1889

Medium

Hanging scroll; ink on bark paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986