1 Zhou Wenju (around 917-975)
Painter of the Southern Tang Dynasty during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. A native of Jurong, Jiankang (now Nanjing, Jiangsu). He had a beautiful demeanor and was very thoughtful in studying painting. When he was promoted to Yuan Dynasty (937-942), he was ordered to write the "Nanzhuang Picture" in the court, which was extremely sophisticated. The later master, Li Yu, was then serving as a member of the Imperial Academy and waiting for an edict. He is particularly good at painting figures, crown clothes, and chariots and utensils, especially ladies. He mostly takes the life of the palace aristocrats as his themes, and is also good at chariots, horses, and buildings. His painting style is close to that of Zhou Fang, but he is more delicate and beautiful, and his clothes are often trembling. He created an original "war brush" painting method; when he painted mountains, forests, springs and rocks, his brushwork was also thin, straight and trembling, which was different from Zhou Fang's; the ladies he painted were not painted with vermilion powder, but were engraved with gold and jade for decoration. He was also good at painting Buddhist statues. He tried to create the "Portrait of Ci Shi" in the Tushita Palace, and painted the male statue in the Indian original into a Chinese woman with "rich muscles and beautiful bones" and "bright eyes and good vision". He once painted "Picture of an Eminent Monk Testing His Brushstrokes", which depicts a monk waving his arms and waving a brush while watching several scholars complain and click their tongues, as if they heard voices. He is also good at describing children's life, such as "Baby Play Pictures" and "Palace Pictures". Among the handed down works are the "Ming Emperor Playing Chess" volume, which is recorded in "Three Hundred Famous Paintings in the Forbidden City"; and the "Double Screen Playing Chess Picture" volume, which depicts the scene of Li Jing, the emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty, playing chess with his brothers in front of the screen. Because there is a screen painted on the background screen, it is called "double screen". The painting has no name, and the seals in the Song and Yuan Dynasties are all fake. However, the costumes and daily necessities of the characters are from the Five Dynasties, which can at least reflect the appearance of Zhou Wenju's painting method. Silk, ink and color, 40.3 cm in length and 70.5 cm in width. There are inscriptions of Ming Shendu and Wen Zhengming on the back of the scroll. It is now in the Palace Museum. The "Pictures of Figures in Liuli Tang" collected in the Freer Museum in the United States is a copy made by the Qing Dynasty. The painting depicts the story of the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Changling and his poetic friends Li Bai, Gao Shi and others singing in Liuli Tang in Jiangning. The biography mistakenly titled "Wenyuan Picture" by Han Huizong of the Song Dynasty was actually part of the painting. The painting "Pictures in the Palace" is a copy of the Southern Song Dynasty, and records say it is a copy of Zhou Wenju's original work.
2 Zhou Wenju, a painter of the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties of China. A native of Jurong, Jiankang (now Jurong County, Jiangsu Province). The dates of his birth and death are unknown, but he was probably active during the periods of Li Jing, the central ruler, and Li Yu, the later ruler (943-975) of the Southern Tang Dynasty. Zhou Wenju was a master at painting Buddhism and Taoism, figures, carriages and horses, houses and landscapes, and was especially good at ladies. His paintings of beautiful women inherited the tradition of Zhou Fang in the Tang Dynasty, from the subject matter to the form of expression. Commentators say that her body is close to that of Zhou Fang, but more delicate and beautiful. This is due to the differences in the aesthetic fashions of different eras and the differences in women's postures in different regions. He painted Buddhism, Taoism and figures, trying not to follow the mold of Cao Zhongda, Wu Daozi and others. When painting characters' clothing patterns, they imitate Li Houzhu's calligraphy style, with thin, hard and trembling strokes. The "Review of Famous Paintings of the Holy Dynasty" of the Northern Song Dynasty pointed out: "His brushwork is far-reaching, and he is especially craftsmanship when it comes to prosperity." It shows that being good at expressing prosperous and gorgeous life scenes is Zhou Wenju's specialty in figure painting. The Northern Song Dynasty's "Picture Experience and Knowledge" and "Xuanhe Painting Book" cited Zhou Wenju's works, "There are pictures such as "Noble Qi's Outing in Spring", "Pounding Clothes", "Silk Ironing", "Embroidered Girl" and other pictures handed down to the world." The existing copy of "Palace Pictures" from the Song Dynasty shows the lives of palace women from different aspects. It includes various plots such as playing music, hairpins, butterflies, playing with babies, teasing dogs, and portraits. The whole picture is divided into 12 sections and contains 81 people. The characters' moods and mutual responses are handled in a very natural and orderly manner. . One of the portraits is a portrait of an ancient Chinese figure painter, which is particularly rare. Zhou Wenju is also an excellent portrait painter. In the fifth year of Baoda in the Southern Tang Dynasty (947), there was a heavy snowfall on New Year's Day. The emperor Li Jing had a banquet with his brothers and close ministers and composed poems. He ordered Zhou Wenju and court painters Gao Chonggu, Dong Yuan, Zhu Cheng, Xu Chongsi and others to collaborate on the "Snow Appreciation Picture". 》. The "Courtier, Fabu Sizhu" in the picture was written by Zhou Wenju, who was highly praised. He also painted "Double Screen Chess Picture", "Five Kings Drinking Picture", etc., which also showed the group portraits and life styles of Li Jing and his brothers. "Chess Playing on the Double Screen" is now in the Palace Museum. It depicts Li Jing playing chess with his three younger brothers, showing an atmosphere of friendship in the elegant life of playing chess. Li Jing is sitting in the middle. His portrait has a lifelike expression and is quite distinctive. The lines of his clothes are thin and straight with twists and turns, and he is thin and firm, which are the characteristics of Zhou Wen's line drawings. There is another screen painted on the screen in the picture. The content expresses the poetic feeling of Bai Juyi's "Occasionally Sleeping", so it is called "Chess Playing on the Double Screen".
3 Zhou Wenju (10th century AD), a native of Jurong, Jiankang (now Nanjing), was a member of the Imperial Academy of Painting of the Southern Tang Dynasty. He is good at painting figures, landscapes, carriages and horses, and buildings, and is especially good at painting women. He inherited the painting method of Zhou Fang of the Tang Dynasty and made some changes, creating "war (trembling) brush painting". His painting style was deeply appreciated by his later master, Li Yu. This picture depicts the scene of Li Jing, the leader of the Southern Tang Dynasty, playing chess with his younger brothers Jing Sui, Jing Da and Jing □. Wearing a high hat and holding a disc box, the elder in the middle watching the game is Li Jing, the center player, and the players are Qi Wang Jingda and Jiang Wang Jing. The screen behind the figure is painted with the poetic imagery of Bai Juyi's "Occasionally Sleeping". There is also a small landscape screen, so the painting is called "Double Screen". This painting focuses on depicting the expressions of the characters. Li Jing's thoughtfulness, the smiles of the players Jing Da and Jing □ conceal their intention to win, and the spectator Jing Tun's ease and ease are all depicted in detail. The line drawings in the painting are thin, vigorous and winding, with a slight tremor of frustration, a war (trembling) stroke, which is unique and gives people a sense of simplicity. The unnamed inscription was recorded in books such as "Mo Yuan Hui Guan", "Notes of the Western Qing Dynasty", and "The Third Collection of Shiqu Baoji".
There are several other copies of this painting. It can be found in books such as "Yuyi Bian" and "Qinghe Painting and Calligraphy Boat" with names such as "Double Screen Picture" and "Guan Yu Picture". There are two existing copies. One is in the Freer Museum of Art in the United States and is a Ming Dynasty copy. The other is in the Palace Museum and has a higher artistic level. It may be considered a Song copy that is close to the original.
Zhou Wenju (10th century AD), a native of Jurong, Jiankang (now Nanjing), was a member of the Imperial Academy of Painting of the Southern Tang Dynasty. He is good at painting figures, mountains, rivers and buildings, especially beautiful ladies. The woman in Runge painted in the painting inherits the tradition of Zhou Dynasty in the Tang Dynasty, focusing on depicting the dynamic expressions and inner spirit of the characters without excessive use of red powder or gorgeous ornaments, which makes the image more natural and beautiful. His brushwork draws on Li Yu's painting techniques. The lines are thin and hard, with a slight tremor, which is called "war brush" painting. It has a balance of hardness and softness, and is unique. He was deeply appreciated by Li Yu in the painting academy, and he and Gu Hongzhong were ordered to paint "Han Xizai's Night Banquet" at the same time.