Catalog No.: 550

138×40cm

Starting bid: RMB 8,000

Inscription: Painted by Ren Yi in a temporary residence on the Chunshen River in midsummer of the Ximao year (1891).
Seal impression: Ren Bonian (white characters)
Ren Bonian, born Ren Yi, originally named Run, with the courtesy name Ciyuan and alias Xiaolou. He later changed his name to Yi, with the courtesy name Bonian, and other aliases such as Shan Yin Dao Shang Xing Zhe and Shou Dao Shi. He was known by his courtesy name. A native of Hangwu Mountain, Shanyin, Shaoxing Prefecture, Zhejiang (now Guali Town, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou City), he was a famous painter in the late Qing Dynasty.
From a young age, he sold paintings with his father, then studied painting under Ren Xiong and Ren Xun, and later settled in Shanghai, making a living by selling paintings. Among the "Four Rens," he achieved the most prominence and was a leader of the "Shanghai School" and one of the "Four Masters of the Shanghai School." Ren Bonian's painting originated from folk art, with comprehensive techniques; he was skilled in landscapes, birds-and-flowers, and figures. His figure paintings, in his early years, were influenced by Chen Hongshou's style, featuring exaggerated forms and rich decorative effects, such as the "Gan Mo Refining Sword" scroll in the Palace Museum. After practicing pencil sketching, his style became more vigorous, as seen in works like the "Three Heroes of Wind and Dust" scroll in the Palace Museum. His portraiture skills were extraordinarily superb; he painted portraits for many, including Xugu, Hu Gongshou, Zhao Zhiqian, and Ren Xun, all of which were remarkably lifelike. The Zhejiang Provincial Museum houses his "Portrait of an Official in Poverty" scroll, which depicts Wu Changshuo in official attire, extremely vivid and expressive. His bird-and-flower paintings, in his early years, excelled in gongbi (meticulous style), imitating the Northern Song masters and closely resembling Chen Hongshou. Later, he drew inspiration from the Yun school and the xieyi (freehand) styles of Chen Chun, Xu Wei, and Zhu Da, making his brushwork simpler and more unrestrained, with clear and elegant colors, forming a bright and warm style that combined meticulous and freehand techniques. Representative works include the "Wisteria and Kingfisher" scroll in the Xu Beihong Memorial Hall. He had a profound influence on modern and contemporary bird-and-flower painting.