Zhou Wenju, whose date of birth and death is unknown, was a famous court painter in the Southern Tang Dynasty in the Five Dynasties. Born in Jurong, Jinling (now Jurong County, Jiangsu Province), he was an academician of the Painting Academy. Guo called him "good at figures, chariots, horses, houses, trees, mountains and rivers, especially fine ladies" in "Paintings and Records". His figure painting is mainly developed by learning Zhou Fang's skills. His works are widely circulated, with more than 70 works, including Taoism and Buddhism, portraits, landscapes, ladies and so on. His handed down works include Double Screen Chess Map, Maid-in-waiting Map, Ming Di Chess Map, Coloured Glass Hall Map and Dragon Boat Festival Baby Map, among which the most representative are Double Screen Chess Map and Maid-in-waiting Map.
Play chess on the screen, silk in color, describing the scene of South Tang master Li Jing playing chess with his brothers in front of the screen. Because there is a small screen on the screen behind the chess player sitting on the couch, it is named "heavy screen chess map" The figures in the painting have different moods, and the clothing lines are thin and rigid, which is different from Gao Gu's gossamer and Qu Tie Pan Si, but there is a slight setback and jitter in the strong lines, which coincides with the "thin and hard pen method" in Xuanhe's painting. The painting history is called "war pen" or "trembling pen description". There is no artist's name in this painting, but only "collected by the inner government of Evonne in the Northern Song Dynasty" The painting title of Chongping is consistent with Zhou Wenju, which was found in Wang Mingqing's "Three Stories of Blowing Dust" in the early Southern Song Dynasty, so it is generally considered to be the original work of Zhou Wenju. However, some experts believe that the Song, Yuan, Jane, Zang and Seal in the painting are all fake, but the clothes and daily necessities worn by the characters kiss the legacy of the Five Dynasties, reflecting the face of Zhou Wenju's painting. In addition, the Flier Museum in the United States has a collection of works of the same name, but the characters are dull and the lines are weak, so they are generally considered as copies of Ming people.
The palace maid picture depicts the leisurely life of court women. There are plots such as playing the piano, dressing up, playing, flapping butterflies and portraits in the painting. Now it has been divided into four parts, which are hidden in three museums and an art research center in the United States and Italy. This volume is followed by the postscript of Zhang Zheng in the early years of Southern Song Dynasty, and its original version is considered as the original work of Zhou Wenju. The characters in the painting are drawn simply, with strong lines and simple colors, giving people the feeling of "smooth and fine". However, although the clothing pattern is smooth, it is not a "war pen", but it may be his early works.
Gu's figure paintings, according to Xuan He Hua Pu, contain five paintings, four of which are Ming Taizu Da and the other is Han Xizai's Night Banquet, which is famous for its painting history.
Han Xizai's Night Banquet is the only work handed down from ancient times. Now it is in the Palace Museum. According to legend, at that time, he and Zhou Wenju had been ordered by the first Lord to sneak into Han Xizai's "sensual, night-time drinking" mansion brothers, and their eyes were sealed, so they planned to move forward. The work truly depicts Han Xizai's politically frustrated dissolute nightlife, and successfully depicts the complex mood of Han and other characters. This picture is soft and powerful, with clear light and heavy, bright and elegant colors, combined with cross-dyeing and complete and unified composition. Different from the Tang Dynasty, the characters gradually changed to the beautiful and delicate lady image in the Song Dynasty. This work has no money, and there are inscriptions in the Southern Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasty. In addition, there is a seal "Shaoxing", which is known as the collection of the inner government in the Song Dynasty. In addition, the silks in this painting have been carefully and smoothly processed, which is consistent with the silks drawn with the "hammer silver plate" in the five dynasties recorded in the literature, and the painting method is generally consistent with the works of the five dynasties, so it is generally considered to be an original of Gu. But some experts think it is an imitation of the Song Dynasty.