Tang Yin
Maestro ming unisce stili nord e sud
Tang Yin(唐寅) (March 6, 1470 – January 7, 1524), courtesy name Bohu(伯虎), later changed to Ziwei(子畏), also known by sobriquets like Liuru Jushi(六如居士), Taohua Anzhu(桃花庵主), Tang Sheng of Lu State(鲁国唐生), and Escaping Zen Official(逃禅仙吏), was from Wuxian, Suzhou Prefecture in the Southern Zhili area. He was a famous painter, calligrapher, and poet during the Ming Dynasty. Tang Yin's ancestor was Tang Hui, a general in Jinchang Commandery of Liangzhou during Former Liang. This ancestry directly influenced Tang Yin, who often signed his artworks with "Jinchang Tang Yin." By the early Tang period, his ancestor Tang Jian joined Li Yuan in rebellion and was titled Duke of Ju, so Tang Yin also called himself "Tang Sheng of Lu State." During the Ming Dynasty, Tang's ancestor Tang Tai worked in the Ministry of War and died in the Tumu Incident. Tang Tai’s descendants were mostly scattered around the Baixia and Qiaoli areas in Wuxian, Suzhou. Tang Yin was born in this area, and his father Tang Guangde ran a small tavern. His father encouraged him to study for official exams, and Tang Yin did not disappoint him. At sixteen, he ranked first in the Suzhou Prefecture Exam, and at twenty-eight he topped the provincial exam for Southern Zhili and went to Beijing the next year for the metropolitan exam. However, because of the imperial examination scandal in the 12th year of the Hongzhi reign (1499), he was imprisoned and demoted to a minor official post. From then on, Tang Yin lost his ambition, wandered the Jiangnan region, and devoted himself to poetry and painting, eventually becoming a renowned painter. In his later years, Tang Yin lived in poverty, sometimes relying on friends for support, and passed away at the age of fifty-four. Tang Yin, along with Shen Zhou, Wen Zhengming, and Qiu Ying, is known as one of the "Four Masters of Wu" (or the Four Great Masters of the Ming). His work followed the traditions of Li Tang and Liu Songnian, blending northern and southern painting styles. His brushwork was delicate, his compositions open and spacious, and his style elegant and refined. His figure paintings followed Tang Dynasty traditions, featuring bright yet graceful colors, smooth postures, and accurate forms; he also excelled in freehand figure paintings, using simple brushstrokes but rich in expression. His bird-and-flower paintings were mostly ink-wash, bold and elegant. His calligraphy was unique, sharp, and beautiful, inspired by Zhao Mengfu. In poetry and prose, he was celebrated alongside Zhu Yunming, Wen Zhengming, and Xu Zhenqing as the "Four Talents of Wu."