Tang Yin

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Clarification after the snow in a mountain pass by renowned Ming painter Tang Yin (1470-1524)

Tang Yin (Chinese: 唐寅; Pinyin: Táng Yín; 1470-1524), better known by his courtesy name Tang Bohu (唐伯虎, though it is usually not the custom to address an individual by both surname and courtesy name), was a Chinese scholar, painter, calligraphist, and poet of the Ming Dynasty period whose life story has become a part of popular lore.

[edit] Early Life

Tang Yin was born into the merchant class of Suzhou, where his father was a restaurateur, and although lacking social standing, he received an excellent education. He was a brilliant student and became the protégé of Wen Lin (1445–99), the father of Wen Zhengming. His friends in Suzhou’s scholarly circles included Shen Zhou, Wu Kuan (1436–1504) and Zhu Yunming. In 1498 Tang Yin came first in the provincial examinations in Nanjing, the second stage in the civil service examination ladder. The following year he went to Beijing to sit the national examinations, but he and his friend Xu Jing (d 1507) were accused of bribing the servant of one of the chief examiners to give them the examination questions in advance. All parties were jailed, and Tang Yin returned to Suzhou in disgrace, his justifiably high hopes for a distinguished civil service career dashed forever.^[1]

Watching the Spring and Listening to the Wind (看泉听风图), Tang Yin, Nanjing Museum

Wade-Giles romanization T'ang Yin, also called Tang Bohu Chinese scholar, painter, and poet of the Ming period whose life story has become a part of popular lore. Tang was a pupil of the great Shen Zhou, a friend of Wen Zhengming, and was aided by the latter's father, Wen Lin. Tang came from a mercantile background and excelled in his studies. He was accused, perhaps unfairly, of cheating in the provincial examinations that would have guaranteed him the security of a government sinecure and comfort for the cultivation of scholarly pursuits. Denied further official progress, he pursued a life of pleasure and earned a living by selling his paintings. That mode of living brought him into disrepute with a later generation of artist-critics (for example, Dong Qichang) who felt that financial independence was vital to enable an artist to follow his own style and inspiration. While Tang is associated with paintings of feminine beauty, his paintings (especially landscapes) otherwise exhibit the same variety and expression of his peers and reveal a man of both artistic skill and profound insight.