Zhang Yin

CHINA, Jiangsu, Zhenjiang; Qing dynasty

Also known as Baoyan or Qieweng, Zhang Yin was a painter from Dantu (present day Zhengjiang, Jiangsu). As a leading figure of art in the region, Zhang’s painting and poetry took after the Chan Buddhist style. His written works include Collection of Poems in Taochange.
Zhang’s specialties were in depicting flowers, bamboo, rocks, and the Buddha, and he was particularly renowned for his paintings of pine trees. He was reputed alongside Gu Heqing, a well-known painter of willow trees, and were together known as Pine Zhang and Willow Gu. His landscape paintings followed the styles of the Song (960–1279) and Yuan (1271–1368) dynasties, and like master painters such as Wen Zhengming and Shenzhou, Zhang also emphasized sketching from the nature. While traveling through southern China with his wife, they painted Boating in the Mist to commemorate their journey.
Paintings by Zhang include Yellow Mountain, Red Tree of Autumn Mountain, and Grass Hut of East Mountain, all of which are kept at the Palace Museum in Beijing. In addition, Spring Water Through the Gorge is in the Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu; Cool Shades of the Osmanthus Tree is kept at the Guangzhou Art Museum in Guangdong; and Waterfall in Autumn Mountain and South Village are at the Shanghai Museum.