Hongzhi

CHINA, Anhui, Anqing; Ming to Qing dynasty

Hongzhi, born Fang Yizhi, was a monk and artist from Tongcheng, Anqing. In 1640, he became an Imperial Scholar and was assigned to the Hanlin Academy. After the fall of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), he renounced as a monk and became well-versed in Chan practice.
Hongzhi was skilled in various arts including poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He uses the “worn-out brush” technique to create paintings that were impressionistic and abstract in nature, communicating the message of Chan in a discreet and indirect manner. His few extant works include Seven-Character Quatrain, collected at Ho’s Calligraphy Foundation in Taipei, Taiwan; and Riding A Donkey Under a Tree, kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing.