History of Yuan Dynasty Painting

Author: Du Zhisen / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-12-01
Features:
On the left is a "Zhao" and on the right is a "Page" character
Section 5: Other Important Painters in the Early Yuan Dynasty
When the brilliance of individuals shines too brightly, it often makes those around them appear dim. This phenomenon was seen in the early Yuan painting scene. As leaders of the art world, Zhao Mengfu and Gao Kegong were highly esteemed by society. While fully acknowledging their achievements, they often paid little attention to other painters of the same era, and Ren Renfa was one such example. Ren Renfa, originally named Ting, styled Ziming, and styled as Mount Yue Taoist, was from Songjiang (now Songjiang County, Shanghai). He was born in the second year of the Baoyou era of the Song Dynasty (1254) and died in the fourth year of the Taiding era of the Yuan Dynasty (1327), the same year as Zhao Mengfu. He passed away only five years later than Zhao. They were contemporaries in both life and death. A versatile painter, he excelled in figures, equestrian scenes, and flowers and birds, especially in painting horses. However, his influence and fame were far less than Zhao Mengfu's. The reason for this was that Zhao Mengfu came from a noble family, had a smooth career, and held a prominent position. During his time in the Yuan Dynasty, he mostly revolved around the emperor, allowing him to look down upon officials and be praised far and wide. Both in life and in death, he was like a bright moon surrounded by stars. Ren Renfa, on the other hand, was born into humble circumstances and had no influential connections. He relied solely on his own hard work to enter the civil service. During his tenure, he was engaged in the arduous tasks of dredging rivers and flood control, which prevented him from getting close to powerful figures or receiving imperial favor, unlike Zhao Mengfu and other literati. Although he accomplished many beneficial deeds for the people (such as overseeing the dredging and construction of the Wusong River, Tonghui Canal, Quantong Canal, Yellow River, Lianhu Lake, and sea dikes), and even wrote a specialized treatise on water conservancy titled Zhexi Water Conservancy Discussion and Records in ten volumes, none of this brought him widespread acclaim. In terms of his painting achievements, despite his wide-ranging themes and profound mastery, his horses were praised by those who recognized them as "completely skilled in form and spirit" (as cited in Yang Weizheng's Tieya Collection of Poems, Volume B, Commentary on Ren Renfa's Nine Horse Scroll), with a level of skill not inferior to Zhao Mengfu's. Some of his works were even collected by Emperor Renzong by imperial decree, yet they still failed to attract attention from the cultural circles of the time. Searching through collections of Yuan Dynasty poetry and prose, one finds only a handful of mentions of Ren Renfa's contributions to painting and calligraphy. (In contrast, works praising Zhao Mengfu and Gao Kegong number over a hundred.) It is particularly puzzling that a figure like Ren Renfa, who was also born in the Jiangnan region, served in the court alongside Zhao Mengfu, and belonged to one of the wealthiest families in Jiangnan, should have been unknown to Zhao Mengfu, who never once mentioned him. Even Xian Wenyan, when compiling the authoritative art history Illustrated Catalogue of Paintings, failed to include Ren Renfa, leaving him out of the record. What could be the reason? Was it oversight? Did they have conflicting principles and thus harbor rivalry? Or did they hold each other in disdain? Looking at Ren Renfa's surviving work, Two Horses, his skill in painting horses is indeed no less than Zhao Mengfu's. Compared to Zhao Mengfu, Ren Renfa's brushwork is more precise, his colors more evenly applied, his forms more accurate, and his expression more lively. He achieved a balance of robustness without bulkiness, realism without stiffness, and meticulous detail without losing elegance. Describing him as "completely skilled in form and spirit" and "using a brush that rivals Longmian" is entirely appropriate. Yet such achievements were largely ignored by the public, especially the literati, who showered praise upon the First Rank Official of Wuxing and the esteemed Zhao, leaving this "local" painter from humble beginnings largely unappreciated. However, this did not diminish Ren Renfa's passion for art. As an official who focused on practical matters, he paid little attention to the mutual flattery among scholars. In his free time, he continued to paint what he desired with great dedication, often infusing his work with deep personal reflections. For example, in Two Horses (Figure 20), he depicted two horses—one fat and one thin—and expressed his thoughts on the disparity between wealth and poverty, discussing the integrity and corruption of scholars. The text reads: "After completing my official duties, I casually sketched two horses—one fat and one thin. The fat horse, with its extraordinary physique, stands on a steep slope, tied with a single rope, though it enjoys the luxury of lavish fodder, it may still face the danger of stumbling on a narrow path. The thin horse, its hide stripped bare, gnaws on withered grass in the frosty wind, though it fears lifelong exclusion, it avoids the toil of morning gallops and evening feeding. How strikingly different are the fortunes of things!"