Ren Bonian

'''Ren Yi''' ({{zh|t=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."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://en.dpm.org.cn/collections/collections/2014-09-05/434.html |title=Ten Magnificent Landscapes |publisher=The Palace Museum |access-date=2019-01-31 |archive-date=2019-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013632/https://en.dpm.org.cn/collections/collections/2014-09-05/434.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

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.

==Gallery==

<gallery> File:'Portrait of Gao Yong's Wife', ink on paper by Ren Yi (1840-1896), 1886, Honolulu Academy of Arts.jpg|''Portrait of Gao Yong's Wife'' by Rèn Yi, 1886, Honolulu Museum of Art File:Ren Bonian - Playing the Flute - Walters 35101C.jpg|''Playing the Flute'', 1860–80, Walters Art Museum </gallery>

==Sources== *''Chinese Paintings in the Ashmolean Museum Oxford'' (132) Oxford {{ISBN|1-85444-132-9}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.chinaonlinemuseum.com/painting-ren-bonian.php Ren Bonian on China Online Museum] *[http://www.artfact.com/features/viewArtist.cfm?1=1&searchType=artist&artistRef=ORAI26VSY6 Artfact article] *[https://iamasf.org/project/renbonian/ Ren Bonian - ''Swallows and Plantain''] * [https://www.dpm.org.cn/lemmas/240388.html Palace Museum page]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ren, Bonian}} Category:1840 births Category:1896 deaths Category:Artists from Shaoxing Category:Painters from Zhejiang Category:19th-century Chinese painters