Scholar on a rock
Rendered in highly controlled contours of uniform width and geometric perfection that appear engraved rather than brushed, this fan painting is probably an early work exemplifying Ren Yi's mastery of the archaistic idiom of his fellow townsman Chen Hongshou (1598-1652), who was an important model for each of the Four Rens. Ren depicted a scholar, out for a stroll, resting on a large strangely eroded garden rock. The gentleman has propped his walking stick in a crook of the stone and become engrossed in a book. By isolating this image against a blank background, Ren focuses our attention on the subtle interplay between the scalloped contours of the rock and the patterned folds of the man's robes, conveying a sense of the deep harmony between these kindred spirits.
Artwork Details
- 清 任頤 石上讀書 扇面
- Title: Scholar on a rock
- Artist: Ren Yi (Ren Bonian) (Chinese, 1840–1896)
- Period: Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
- Date: ca. 1880
- Culture: China
- Medium: Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 7 1/2 x 21 3/16 in. (19.1 x 53.8 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.267.49
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Ren Yi (Ren Bonian)
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