清 任頤 童子水牛 扇面|Herdboy and Buffalo

Ren Yi (Ren Bonian)

dated 1890 · Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on alum paper · Asian Art

Throughout his career Ren explored the expressive qualities of various brush manners. In the 1880s he was particularly interested in the effects of colored wash and loose, impressionistic brushwork, and created pictures such as this softly brushed fan. The Chan (Zen) theme of herding one's nature toward enlightenment, as a herdboy guides his wayward buffalo, derives from Song-dynasty illustrations.

Artist

Ren Yi (Ren Bonian)

Date

dated 1890

Medium

Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on alum paper

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

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