Tang Yin was a gifted scholar whose rise to high office seemed assured. He achieved first place in the civil examinations at the capital but was immediately disgraced following allegations of cheating. After the premature end of his official career, Tang Yin learned to paint and was soon forced to sell his paintings to survive. From then on, he pursued the diversions of an eccentric scholar-artist, his life entering the annals of popular legend. His independent spirit is reflected in his art, which is technically brilliant and resists classification to a particular school. In this
painting, bold brushstrokes describe large rocks that partially obscure a path leading to lakeside dwellings. The middle of the painting is undefined, hidden by misty ink washes; dramatic cliffs in the background give the impression of a vast, distant scene.
The poetic inscription reads:
\nIn front of Mount Nüji, traversed by wild paths,
\nThe sound of whispering pines mixes with that of a stream.
\nStriking his pony once, he rides into the sunset.
\nWith wind in my ears, I see my guest off on his way.
","remarks":"Asian Art Rotation Feb 2020, see Asian Art Rotation October 2017 for similar text"}],"media":[{"id":61999,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/INV08133","isprimary":0,"rank":31,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Inventory Project"},{"id":3044,"uri":"https://media.artmuseum.princeton.edu/iiif/3/collection/y1947-245","isprimary":1,"rank":1,"mediatypeid":1,"mediaviewtype":"(not assigned)","restrictions":null,"caption":"Luna Digitization Project"}],"hasimage":"true","bibliography":[{"boilertext":"Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013)","citation":"Princeton University Art Museum: Handbook of the Collections (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Art Museum, 2013), p. 28","date":2013,"id":1994,"uri":"https://search.worldcat.org/title/865020505"},{"boilertext":"Wen C. Fong, Images of the mind: selections from the Edward L. 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