táng 唐

Tang Yao, Tang Yin (1470 - 1523), a painter and writer in the Ming Dynasty, was from Wuxian County. His courtesy names were Bohu and Ziwei, and his other names included Liuru Jushi and Taohua Anzhu. He was proficient in poetry, calligraphy, and painting. His prose was modeled after the Six Dynasties. In the early stage, his poems were mostly gorgeous. In middle age, he learned from Liu Yuxi and Bai Juyi. In his later years, his style was unrestrained and not restricted by fixed patterns. He was good at painting landscapes, mostly taking inspiration from Li Tang and Liu Songnian of the Southern Song Dynasty and also adopting the methods of Yuan Dynasty painters. He was also skilled in painting figures and flowers and birds. His brushwork was delicate, sharp, and mellow. The scenery in his paintings was fresh, vivid, and both his meticulous and freehand styles were excellent. He was collectively known as one of the Four Great Masters of the Ming Dynasty with Wen Zhengming, Shen Zhou, and Qiu Ying, and was also one of the Four Talents of Wuzhong together with Zhu Yunming, Zhang Ling, and Xu Zhenqing. There were painting manuals and collections of poems and essays in circulation, and he also wrote the Complete Works of Liuru Jushi. He was also called Tang Bohu.