Muxi

CHINA, Sichuan; Southern Song dynasty

Muxi, who had an original family name of Li and was also known as Fachang, was a monk and painter from Shu (present day Sichuan). He was a Confucian scholar, but renounced during his middle age at Changqing Temple in Zhejiang, and later became the Dharma heir of Chan Master Wuzhun Shifan. Muxi is said to have an outspoken personality with a strong sense of justice. He led a bitter and difficult life, which likely contributed to his profound understanding of life.
The majority of Muxi’s paintings were inspired by daily life. His works are simple yet bold and polished, with a sense of unpredictability and an overall ambiance of Chan. Stylistically, his paintings mirrored Shi Ke and Liang Kaizhi’s simplified strokes and light ink tones. Muxi often found new and unique approaches to painting, such as using sugarcane dregs to make dots. Such spontaneity created a natural appearance and was indicative of his thoughtfulness and exuberance. His works were highly influential on Japanese landscape paintings.
Several of his works are now preserved in Japan, including a set of three paintings entitled Avalokitesvara, Two Monkeys, and a Crane, as well as Six Persimmons, all of which are kept at Daitokuji Temple in Kyoto, Japan. Temple in the Evening Mist is kept at the Hatakeyama Memorial Museum of Fine Art in Tokyo, Japan; Arhat is kept at the Seikado Bunko Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan; and Avalokitesvara in a White Robe is collected at Engakuji Temple in Kanagawa, Japan.