Juning

CHINA, Jiangsu, Changzhou; Northern Song dynasty

Juning was a monk and painter from Piling (present day Changzhou, Jiangsu). After studying Confucianism for many years, he cultivated a noble character, which he later applied to his studies of Chan Buddhism.
Juning was known for his early ink paintings of insects in a style which did not quite adhere to form, and became obscured in both appearance and proportion. These odd shapes were particularly charming and playful in contrast to the vigor of his brushstrokes which were strong and skillful. Juning entitled this work Peaceful Living with Drunken Strokes. This piece served as the precursor to “Chan Sketches in Ink,”, which were described in Overview of Painting as “although truthfulness is lost, his stokes are full of strength and vigor, which is rare and surprising.”
In addition, Xuanhe Catalog of Paintings and Evaluation of Painters contain records of paintings by Juning.