Ren Bonian
1840–1895 · Chinese painter of the Shanghai School
Rèn Yí (任頤), also known as Ren Bonian, was a Chinese painter born in 1840 in Zhejiang, the son of a rice merchant who supplemented his income by making portraits. After his father died in 1855 he settled in Shanghai, an urban setting exposed to Western ideas, and there he became part of the Shanghai School, which blended popular and traditional styles. He is counted among the "Four Rens" together with Ren Xiong, Ren Xun and Ren Yu, and his teachers included Ren Xiong and Ren Xun.
His early work was shaped by the painters of the Song dynasty; later he adopted a freer manner influenced by Zhu Da. He was noted for his bold brushwork and his use of color. His works include the "Portrait of Gao Yong's Wife" (1886, Honolulu Museum of Art) and "Playing the Flute" (1860–80, Walters Art Museum). Sources differ on the year of his death, giving either 1895 or 1896.
His legacy is closely tied to the Shanghai School and to the Four Rens, four painters sharing the same surname who shaped Chinese painting in the late nineteenth century.
Works (1)
A work by Rèn Yí, a painter associated with the movement known as the Shanghai School, executed on paper. No information is available about its title, date or commission, so its subject and circumstances of creation cannot be specified. It is held at the Shanghai Museum, which places it within this painting tradition.
Where to see the work
- Shanghai Museum Shanghai · 1