Hongren 1610-1664

signed Jianjiang, with three seals of the artist, hong ren, yi pian bin xin and ji zhui. Titleslip by Cheng Lingsun, signed Lingsun. Frontispiece by Xu Heng, signed Xu Heng, with two seals, xu heng, sheng qiu. Colophons by Xu Heng, dated yimao (1939), the first lunar month, signed Tongzhou ren Xu Heng, with five seals, xu heng (2), xu heng, sheng qiu, xu shi sheng qiu; and Wang Lüben, signed Jiuyou, and with three seals, zi cheng yi jia, yi nai fu, jiu you

Previously in the collection of Wang Nanping (Wong Nan-Ping, 1924-1985, Jade Studio)
Private American collection

New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, The Jade Studio: Masterpieces of Ming and Qing Painting and Calligraphy from the Wong Nan-Ping Collection, Apr 9 to Jul 31, 1993, and toured to University of Michigan Museum of Art; Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong; and Spencer Museum of Art, Lawrence, Kansas from September 10,  1994 to June 18, 1995

The Jade Studio: Masterpieces of Ming and Qing Painting and Calligraphy from the Wong Nan-Ping Collection, written and edited by Richard M. Barnhart et al, New Haven, Yale University Art Gallery, 1994, pp. 157-159, pl. 41  

- Paper bears a slight tanning tone and light wears due to age. - Restorations of wormholes and paper losses can be found throughout the painting, yet most of these are on the second half of the painting after the signature. - One area of old repair and light stain at the right top corner of the painting as can be seen on the illustration. - The colors of the illustration appear to be too intense and reddish for the first section in particular, whereas the tone and the coloring of the actual piece are more elegant and angular.
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Colophons:
Xu Heng: The painter Jianjiang shangren was one of the Four Masters of my hometown. Commentators have had much criticism for him, but he was indeed in the Wen Zhengzhong's (Wen Zhenging, 1470-1559) lineage of fine and elegant painting. In his late years Hengshan pursued Songxue's (Zhao Mengfu, 1254-1322) style and achieved spiritual resonance and divine harmony. By contrast, Shangren remained alone in the empty mountains and maintained his own style. Yet what shame should he feel when compared to the likes of Shoucheng (Wen Peng, 1498-1573) and Boren (Wen Boren, 1502-1575)? If I ask Lingsun about this, I expect he will not say that I am biased towards a fellow townsman. In early spring of the yimao year. Inscribed by Xu Heng, of Tongchen.

Wang Lüben: Master Jian was an academy student (zhusheng) of the Ming dynasty, and was known for his filial piety. He was Jiang Tianyi's clansman. After the jiashen (1644) and yiyou years (1645), he traveled along the Fujian coast and plotted in vain to restore the Ming dynasty before vanishing among the Buddhist clergy. In life his virtue was untainted. In painting he attained the meticulousness of Tang and Song painters and yet transcended them with the insouciance of Yuan masters. Comparing him only to Tingyun (Wen Zhengming, 1470-1559) seems to me not to do him justice. Yet his authentic works are rare. What have survived are mostly copies made after the master's time to satisfy the market. Long ago I inscribed the following poem on the master's Sailing Downwind at Daybreak:' After the cataclysm he achieved fame with his Chan-like painting, receiving the teaching of Ni (Ni Zan, 1301-1374) and Huang (Huang Gongwang, 1269-1354) in their authentic lineage. Painters around the world imitating him are all ultimately ordinary. He was unprecedented before and would be unequaled after for five hundred years.' Brother Ling has already said to Elder Sheng that he suspects that I am biased towards a fellow townsman. I see that Elder Sheng is even more suspect! Jiuyou.

Note:
The artist known as Hongren was one of four great monk painters active during the early Qing dynasty. He was the leading artist of the Huangshan or Anhui School of painting.

This small handscroll is a superb example of Hongren‘s painting style. The artist employs his hallmark brushwork technique--elegant, refined, dry, and angular--to depict crystalline rock structures, animated tree shapes, and simplified architectural forms, which he deftly juxtaposes to create a minimalist composition that is at once intimate and monumental. He employs an array of velvety black dots, applied both horizontally and vertically, to enhance surface interest and to enliven the otherwise sparse landscape scene. A two-character signature and one seal of the artist appear midway through the handscroll.

While the first half of the scroll (the portion before and just after the signature) displays all of the characteristics of Hongren¿s style, the second half of the painting is almost certainly the work of a different artist, presumably a pupil or follower of Hongren. Although in the second half of the painting, the brushwork is quite refined, the composition is less dynamic, the rock forms more static, the placement of the dots more haphazard, and the trees and architectural elements stiffer than in the first section. Having acknowledged that Hongren did not paint the entire image, rather than detracting from the value of the scroll, it is perhaps best to view this painting as a rare collaboration between Hongren and a skilled follower, whose identity awaits further study.