Ren Xiong (; courtesy name: Weichang 渭長, also known as Xiangpu 湘浦; art name: Bushe 不捨; July 19, 1823 – November 23, 1857) was a Chinese painter from

Xiaoshan Xiaoshan suburban district HangzhouZhejiang was formerly a city in its own right, separated by the Qiantang River from Hangzhou proper, but the municipality was annexed by its more populous neighbor in 2001. Xiaoshan has a permanent population wi ...

Zhejiang ) , translit_lang1_type2 = , translit_lang1_info2 = ( Hangzhounese) ( Ningbonese) (Wenzhounese) , image_skyline = 玉甑峰全貌 - panoramio.jpg , image_caption = View of the Yandang Mountains , image_map = Zhejiang i ...

, active during the late

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

. Ren belonged to the Shanghai School in Chinese painting and is known for his bold and innovative style. His paintings significantly influenced the Shanghai School and modern Chinese painting.

Career

After leaving his teacher, Ren traveled to various cities to make a living through painting. In Hangzhou, he received support from his fellow townsman Lu Yeshan and connected with many other artists. During this period, his portrait paintings gained recognition. He continued studying traditional art, copying the stone engravings of Sixteen Arhats by Guanxiu at the Shengyin Temple on Gushan Island. Zhou Xian of Western Zhejiang admired Ren's work and invited him to the Fanhu Cottage, where Ren spent eight years studying and copying classical masterpieces. He would repeatedly copy works until he could match or surpass the originals. Later, the Ningbo scholar Yao Xie invited Ren to study his extensive collection of paintings from the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. During this time, Ren created 120 paintings inspired by Yao Xie's poetry (now in the Palace Museum).

Artistic style

Ren was proficient in various genres including figure painting, flowers-and-birds, and landscape painting, working in both meticulous (gongbi) and freehand (xieyi) styles. He was particularly renowned for his figure paintings. His style was primarily influenced by Chen Hongshou, though Ren developed his own distinct approach characterized by fresh, lively brushwork, quiet elegance, and decorative appeal. According to many scholars of Chinese art, the particular definition of pictorial naturalism, might result from contacts established with the art of photography, rather than a “simple” assimilation of Western painting techniques and models.Meccarelli M., Foo Y., Flamminii A
and the West in the Art of the Nineteenth Century: A Cultural and Historical Review of the Relations between Painting and Photography"
''Ming Qing Studies'' 2013, pp. 117-160

Paintings

File:Ren_Xiong_Self_Portrait.jpeg, Self-portrait File:'The Examination Candidate', ink and colors on paper by Ren Xiong (1823-1857).JPG, ''The Examination Candidate'' File:Mjmhg009-renxiong.jpg, ''After the poems of Da Mei'' File:Ren xiong 1.jpg, (title not known) File:Ren Xiong - The Goddess of the Luo River.jpg, ''The Goddess of the Luo River’' File:Renxiong wan04s.jpg, ''Palace Museum''

Family and legacy

Ren Xiong was part of a family of artists known as the "Four Rens," which included his son Ren Yu, brother Ren Xun, and nephew Ren Yi. He, along with Ren Xun and Ren Yi, were also known as the "Three Rens of Shanghai”.

References

External links