Ni Zan

Ni Zan

 or Ni Tsan

(born 1301, Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China—died 1374) Chinese artist. He was a part of the group of Chinese painters later known as the Four Masters of the Yuan dynasty (including Wu Zhen, Huang Gongwang, and Wang Meng). Although Ni was born to wealth, he chose not to serve the foreign Mongol dynasty of the Yuan and instead lived a life of retirement and scholarship. He was characterized by his contemporaries as particularly quiet and fastidious, qualities that are found in his art. In his paintings, usually landscapes, he used elements sparingly, favoured ink monochrome, and left great areas of the paper untouched. His works are characterized by a sombre quiet, and they often feature a rustic hut, a few trees or other indications of plant life, and elemental landforms. He was much imitated by later painters, making originals by him difficult to authenticate.