He Tianjian, whose original name was Jun, also known by the name He Bingnan or by his literary name Jiansou, was born in Wuxi, Jiangsu province. He established Wuxi Art College together with his friends in 1921. He also edited two monthly publications including Huaxueyuekan, a journal on the study of paintings, and Guohuayuekan, a journal on Chinese paintings. He became a researcher at the National Art Research Institution of the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 1953 and later served as the deputy director of Shanghai Chinese Painting Academy and a councilor of China Artists Association. He excelled at mountain and water, figure, and flower and bird painting and was most famous for his mountain and water works. In his early years, he learned from various painters including Wu Li, Shi Tao, and Mei Qing in the Qing dynasty, and later drew on those in the Song and Yuan dynasties, forming his own unique style.