Hong Ren

Hong Ren, born Jiang Fang in 1610 in Xixian, Anhui province, China, was a Chinese Buddhist monk and painter associated with the Anhui (or Xin'an) school of painting during the early Qing dynasty. His birth name was Jiang Fang. Following the collapse of the Ming dynasty and the passing of his mother, Hong Ren embraced monastic life, a path also taken by his artistic peers Zhu Da, Shitao, and Kun Can, as a symbolic act of dissent against the Ming dynasty's downfall. He passed away in 1663. Although records suggest he began painting at a young age to support his family, his most renowned artistic creations emerged in his later years. Hong Ren's paintings are characterized by an intense emulation of the style of Ni Zan, a master from the Yuan Dynasty. His artistic approach is described as representing the world in a "dematerialized, cleansed version... revealing his personal peace through the liberating form of geometric abstraction."