Ni Zan

CHINA, Jiangsu, Wuxi; Yuan dynasty

Ni Zan was a painter and calligrapher whose original name was Ni Ting and was also known as Yunlinzi, among several other aliases. He enjoyed collecting books and antiques, composing poems, and painting. A devout Buddhist, he often stayed in Chan traditional temples for meditation, and befriended several monks. Ni authored Collection of Ni Yunlin Poetry and Collection of Qingbige.
He was adept in painting landscapes in ink wash, having learned from Dong Yuan at a young age, and modelling after the works of Jing Hao and Guan Tong. In his depiction of mountain rocks, a contrasting combination of straight and bent brushstrokes was used, while his portrayal of trees adopted the style of Li Cheng. His landscape paintings expressed Chan essence and had a reclusive ambiance, exhibiting a simple and delicate style. Ni, along with Huang Gongwang, Wu Zhen, and Wang Meng, was known as one of the Four Great Masters of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). He imparted great influence on the ink wash landscape painting style of the Yuan and Qing (1644–1911) dynasties.
Paintings by Ni include Fishing Village in Autumn, kept at the Shanghai Museum; Vacant Bamboo Grove After Rain, at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan; and Serene Stream and Cold Pines, at the Palace Museum in Beijing. His extant calligraphic works include Poems of Jingjixuan, kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing, and Drafts of Poems About Self, at the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.