Painting of Zhong Kui by Contemporary Chinese Artist Ren Yi (1840-1896)
清代大畫家任頤(1846一1896) 鍾馗圖
Ren Yi (1840-1896),
zi Bonian, hao xiaolou, was a native of Shanyin, Zhejiang. While be was a youth, he had received direct tutelage from his father Hesheng, zi Songyun, who was noted for painting portraits. In his early years, Ron had worked in a fan shop, but later he was appreciated by Ron Xiong and became his student. Moreover he had also studied painting under Ren Xun. Re earned his living by selling paintings in Shanghai.
Ren excelled in painting figures, flowers, birds and landscapes, and was particularly esteemed for painting portraits in the styles of Chen Hongshou and Hua Yan. Re emphasized sketching from life and employed various techniques of outlining, dotting and ink splashing to create a fresh and innovative outlook, characterized by lively images in bright and charming colour scheme. His artistic archievement had a significant impact on the development of Chinese painting in the late Qing and early twentieth century.
任 頤 (1846一1896)
初名潤，字次遠，亦署次遠甫，又字小樓，后字伯年，一作百年，別號山陰道上行者、壽道士,別署任氏、任千秋、任公子、妊、畫奴，室名頤頤草堂、碧悟軒。浙江紹興人。任伯年的父親任淞雲是一位民間的人物肖像畫家,他從小在父親的指點下學習繪畫，特別愛民間的繪畫，對他一生的繪畫有重大的彩晌。后到寧彼限從已在畫壇出名的宗叔任蕉學習陳老蓮畫法，專門探求人物畫技巧。1868年為了謀生，來到文化都市上海，初在箋扇莊學徒，隙時繼續刻苦練習繪畫。在一個偶然機會他的繪畫作品被當時海上畫壇名家胡公壽賞識，帶領任伯年參加錢業公會雅集，上海一些大商人如銀行家陶濬宣，"古香室"老板胡鐵梅，以及著名畫店"九華堂"朱錦裳等人的幫助和宣傳下，任伯年很快畫名大噪。當時出版的《海上畫語》記載了一位愛好書畫的"粵商索畫，累候不通，值其自外歸，尾之入，伯年即登樓，返顧曰：搜內房止步，內房止步，，相為笑柄".由此可見他的繪畫在上海書畫市場，倍受買家青睞的情況一斑。從此后他走上鬻畫為生的職業畫家道路，在上海生活了近3O年，成為海上畫派的領袖。
任伯年的繪畫發軔于民間繪畫藝術，繼而重視傳統中國畫傳統，融蕭雲從、陳洪綬、任熊、石濤、沈周、丁雲鵬、陳淳、徐渭、八大山人諸名家之長，還曾在上海徐家匯接受西洋畫教育。擅長人物和花鳥畫，有豐姿多采、新穎生動的個人風格，對后世畫壇產生巨大彩響。現代著名畫家徐悲鴻曾稱讚任伯年是"一代明星"."仇十洲以后中國畫家第一人".因此，他的繪畫作品一百多年以來，一直是海內外書畫市場上的"寵兒",成為眾多收藏家爭購的珍品，價格較高，一幅清品的拍賣價可高達百萬元人民幣。
Other painting of this painter in the collection
