其父杨师孔，曾任浙江参政(约相当于副省级长官)。杨文聪于万历二十四年(1596)，诞生于贵阳城南郊的石林精舍少怀壮志，学兼文武，善书画，有文采，万历末期举于乡。此后屡试不第，年已30，仍功名不就，因之落魄江湖，纵情山水。他爱南京栖霞山风物，曾读书山中，暇时常登峰顶，眺望长江。数年后，回忆这段生活，曾绘《江中望栖霞》，并题咏其上，以抒怀念之情。

崇祯十六年(1643)已近中年时，他才谋得江宁知县一职，但不久又被劾罢官。失意之余，遂盘桓于秦淮风月场中。原来秦淮内河自明太祖定都南京就异常繁华，从东水关到西水关长达十里，彻夜灯船，尽笙歌。杨文聪为人豪侠，性爱交游，不仅与素淮名妓往来甚密，而且与复社名流侯方域等结为至友。以扇血点染桃花的韵事，很有可能就发生在这时。此事本传不载，然据近人考证，在孔尚任《桃花扇》成书之前，姜实节为杨文聪题画时就有"记否桃花留扇底，一回首处一消魂"之句。由此可知，杨文聪以扇血点染桃花，并非虚构，而是实有其事。

崇祯十七年(1644)三月十九日，李自成攻下北京，明思宗朱由检自杀。吴三桂引清兵入关，合力扑灭了李自成农民起义军的烈火。明南京兵部尚书史可法、凤阳总督马土英等拥立福王朱由崧即位南京。杨文聪和马士英是同乡，又系姻亲，同时他在武备方面也有一定才能，因此被起用，监军京口(今镇江)。其时的镇江金山尚在长江水中，他认为金山控制南北，地形利于防守，奏请筑城以资守御，很快得到允准。

清顺治二年(1645)初，杨文聪升任兵备副使，分巡镇、常两府。到清兵逼近长江时，文聪正驻军金山，控制江防。同年五月，他被提任为右佥都御史(中央监察机关长官)兼督沿江诸军。文聪遂还驻京口，和大将郑鸿适等军合兵长江南岸，与清兵隔江相持。九日夜，清兵乘大雾偷渡，直到接近南岸才被甘露寺守军发现，遂仓皇迎敌，但被清兵冲散。杨文聪败退至苏州。十三日，清兵攻陷南京，南明文武大臣、勋戚除逃亡外，大部迎降。清将曾派人往苏州劝降文聪，说客却被杨文聪所杀，并退军处州(今属浙江)。此时唐王自立于福州，文聪遣使奉表称贺，被拜为兵部右侍郎兼右金都御史，提督军务，图谋收复南京。文聪受命于国破之际，孤军奋战，虽曾扼守仙霞岭，屡挫清军，终因众寡悬殊，于1645年7月兵败被俘，不屈而死，全家36口人同时遇难。

 杨文聪博学好古，书法超逸。善画山水，有宋人之骨力去其结，有元人之风雅去其佻，出入巨然、惠崇之间。

崇祯四年(1631)作《秋林远轴图》轴藏日本大阪市立美术馆。

崇祯九年(1636)作《仿董巨山水》轴，现藏北京市文物局;

《仿倪瓒山水图》轴藏无锡市博物馆;

崇祯十一年(1638)有《枯木竹石图》，藏南京博物院。

《水村图》卷图录于《中国绘画史图录》下册;

崇祯十五年(1642)作《仙人村坞图》轴藏故宫博物院;

 《朱雀航》

野航月冷草萧萧，曾照当年劫火烧。

遗恨至今流不断，酸风昨夜返寒潮。

 brief account of the author's life

His father, Yang Shikong, was once a vice-provincial governor in Zhejiang Province. Yang Wencong was born in 1596 in the twenty-fourth year of Wanli. He was young and ambitious in Shilin Jingshe, in the southern suburb of Guiyang City. He studied both literature and martial arts, was good at painting and calligraphy, and had literary talent. At the end of Wanli, he was raised in his hometown. Since then, it has failed many times, 30 years old, but still failed to achieve fame and fame. Because of this, it has fallen into poverty and indulged in mountains and rivers. He loved the scenery of Qixia Mountain in Nanjing. He used to study in the mountains. He often climbed the peak and looked at the Yangtze River in his spare time. Years later, recalling this life, he painted "Wangqixia in the River" and chanted on it to express his feelings of nostalgia.

Chongzhen sixteen years (1643) is nearly middle-aged, he just got Jiangning Zhixian post, but soon was impeached. When he was disappointed, he was confined to the Qinhuai Fengyuan monthly venue. Originally, the Qinhuai River has been extremely prosperous since the Ming Dynasty, when Taizu Dingdu, Nanjing. From Dongshuiguan to Xishuiguan, it lasts for ten miles. All night long, it lights boats and sings songs. Yang Wencong is a heroic swordsman and has sexual intercourse with famous prostitutes in Suhuai, and he has become a close friend with Hou Fangyu, a prominent figure in Fushe. The charm of dyeing peach blossoms with bloodstains probably happened at this time. However, according to recent research, before Kong Shangren's Peach Blossom Fan was finished, when Jiang Shijie inscribed Yang Wencong's painting, there was a sentence "remember whether to leave the bottom of the peach blossom fan, and disappear once you look back". From this we can see that Yang Wencong dyed peach blossoms with bloodstains is not a fiction, but a fact.

On March 19, 1644, 17th year of Chongzhen, Li Zicheng conquered Beijing and Ming Sizong and Zhu Youjian committed suicide. Wu Sangui led the Qing troops into the customs and jointly extinguished the fire of Li Zicheng's peasant rebellion army. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yousong, the king of Fukuo, was elected to the throne of Nanjing by Shangshu Shikefa of the Nanjing Military Department and Ma Tuying, governor of Fengyang. Yang Wencong and Ma Shiying are fellow countrymen and in-laws. At the same time, they have certain abilities in military equipment. Therefore, they were appointed to supervise the army in Jingkou (now Zhenjiang). At that time, Jinshan in Zhenjiang was still in the Yangtze River. He believed that Jinshan controlled the north and south, and the terrain was conducive to defense. He asked for a city to be built for defense, which was soon approved.

In the early years of 1645, Yang Wencong was promoted to Deputy Ambassador of the armed forces and divided into two provinces, namely, patrol town and Chang government. By the time the Qing troops approached the Yangtze River, Wen Congzheng was stationed in Jinshan to control the river defense. In May of the same year, he was appointed as the governor of Youdu (the head of the central supervisory organ) and supervisor of the army along the Yangtze River. Wen Congsui also stationed at Jingkou and joined forces with General Zheng Hongshi on the southern bank of the Yangtze River, which was separated from the Qing troops. Nine days and nights, Qingbing smuggled through the fog until it was found near the south bank by the Ganlu Monastery garrison, then rushed to meet the enemy, but was dispersed by Qingbing. Yang Wencong retreated to Suzhou. On the thirteenth day, the Qing troops captured Nanjing. In addition to fleeing, most of the ministers of culture and military affairs and Xunqi of the Southern Ming Dynasty welcomed the landing. The Qing general sent people to Suzhou to persuade Wencong to surrender, but the lobbyist was killed by Yang Wencong and retired to Chuzhou (now Zhejiang). At this time, King Tang was standing in Fuzhou. Wen Cong sent his envoy to congratulate him. He was worshipped as the right waiter of the army and the right king of Jindu. He supervised the military affairs and tried to recover Nanjing. Wen Cong was ordered to fight alone at the time of the breakdown of the country. Although he had held the Xianxia Mountains and repeatedly defeated the Qing Army, he was eventually captured in July 1645 and died unyieldingly. All 36 members of his family were killed at the same time.