Bidspirit auction | A Set of Four Landscapes,

A Set of Four Landscapes, by Hongren (Buddhist Monk) - Hongren (1610–1664), born with the surname Jiang and given name Tao, courtesy name Liuqi, became a monk and adopted the religious name Hongren, along with art names such as Jianjiang, Wuzhi, and Meihua Guná. A native of She County, Anhui, he excelled in landscape painting and was the founding figure of the Xin’an School of Painting. Along with Zha Shibiao, Sun Yi, and Wang Zhirui, he was ranked as one of the “Four Great Masters of Xin’an”, and is also considered one of the “Four Monk Artists of the Early Qing Dynasty”. In his early years, he studied the style of the Yuan dynasty master Ni Zan, later integrating his personal experiences of the Huangshan and Wuyi mountains into his art. His brushwork was firm and sharp, reminiscent of bent iron, often outlining angular and crystalline rock forms. He employed minimal textural strokes, instead using light ink washes and skillful blank space to create a distinctive style marked by clarity, elegance, and a profound sense of solitude. Having become a monk after the fall of the Ming dynasty, Hongren channeled his emotions into painting. His works blend classical inspiration with strong personal expression, exerting a lasting influence on the development of Chinese landscape art.