Ni Tian

CHINA, Jiangsu, Yangzhou; Qing dynasty

Ni Tian was a painter from Jiangdu district in Yangzhou, but resided in Shanghai. His original name was Ni Baotian, and he was also known as Mogeng, among several other aliases. He was skilled in calligraphy and painting, the latter of which he studied under Wang Su and from Ren Yi. He specialized in painting figures, particularly horses and animals, which he would paint freehand without first drawing drafts. His landscape paintings were richly colored, verdant, and luxurious. In his depiction of figures, Ni’s brushstrokes were smooth, flowing with an unadorned elegance. During the late Qing dynasty, he was a painter of the Shanghai school.
His two extant paintings of Amitayus Buddha are kept at the Chang Foundation Museum in Taipei, Taiwan and the China Painting Academy in Shanghai. Other works include Portrait of Wu Changshuo at 66 Years Old and Discussing the Path in the Shade of Pine Trees, at the Shanghai Museum; and Zhong Kui and a Lady, at the Xu Beihong Museum in Beijing.