Ren Bonian

Ren Yi (Chinese: 任頤; 1840–1896), also known as Ren Bonian, was a painter and son of a rice merchant who supplemented his income by doing portraits. He was born in Zhejiang, but after the death of his father in 1855 he lived in Shanghai. This move placed him in a more urban world that was exposed to Western thinking. In Shanghai he became a member of the Shanghai School which fused popular and traditional styles. Ren Bonian ranked with Ren Xiong, Ren Xun and Ren Yu as the "Four Rens."^[1]

He was noted for his bold brushstrokes and use of color. In his earlier career the Song dynasty painters influenced him, but later on he favored a freer style influenced by the works of Zhu Da.

• Portrait of Gao Yong's Wife by Rèn Yi, 1886, Honolulu Museum of Art
  Portrait of Gao Yong's Wife by Rèn Yi, 1886, Honolulu Museum of Art
• Playing the Flute, 1860–80, Walters Art Museum
  Playing the Flute, 1860–80, Walters Art Museum

• Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford (132) Oxford ISBN 1-85444-132-9

• Ren Bonian on China Online Museum
• Artfact article
• Ren Bonian - Swallows and Plantain

• 1840 births
• 1896 deaths
• Artists from Shaoxing
• Painters from Zhejiang
• 19th-century Chinese painters
• Chinese painter stubs

• Articles containing traditional Chinese-language text
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• All stub articles