Buddha of Longevity
The son of the noted figure painter Ren Xiong (1820–1857), Ren Yu was only a few years old when his father died; his uncle Ren Xun (1835–1893) taught him to paint.
Ren's inscription states that this painting is modeled after a work by the Yangzhou "eccentric" Jin Nong (1687–1764). Like Jin, Ren has done nothing to make his figure visually ingratiating. Freely combining attributes of the meditating Chan (Zen) Buddhist patriarch Bodhidharma with the bulbous-headed Daoist God of Longevity, Ren's craggy figure radiates the austere air of an otherworldly saint.
Ren's inscription states that this painting is modeled after a work by the Yangzhou "eccentric" Jin Nong (1687–1764). Like Jin, Ren has done nothing to make his figure visually ingratiating. Freely combining attributes of the meditating Chan (Zen) Buddhist patriarch Bodhidharma with the bulbous-headed Daoist God of Longevity, Ren's craggy figure radiates the austere air of an otherworldly saint.
Artwork Details
- 清 任預 無量壽佛 軸
- Title: Buddha of Longevity
- Artist: Ren Yu (Chinese, 1853–1901)
- Date: dated 1917
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: 53 x 26 in. (134.6 x 66.0 cm)
- Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Robert Hatfield Ellsworth, in memory of La Ferne Hatfield Ellsworth, 1986
- Object Number: 1986.267.72
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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China
Stele: Song dynasty (960–1279), 960–68; rubbing: 20th century
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