Ming Dynasty Chinese painter Tang Yin (also known as Tang Bohu) painted figures, notably women, as well as birds and small details of blossoms and branches, but I find him most interesting for his beautifully dramatic landscapes.
Tang Yin was active in the 16th century and was one of the foremost painters of his era, called the middle Ming period. He revisited and revitalized painting elements from previous times, and was a calligrapher, scholar and poet in addition to being a popular painter.
Born into a low level merchant class family, his scholarly talent and drive were preparing him for a prized civil service position, but a scandal in which he and a friend were accused of bribing one of the civil service examiners prior to their exams removed that option and led him to earn a living selling his paintings.
There is a book on his life and work, with 100 plates: The Painting of T’ang Yin (more here), though it’s not inexpensive.
