Jueyin Bencheng

CHINA, Zhejiang, Jiaxing; Yuan dynasty

Jueyin Bencheng was a Chan monk, artist, and poet from Yuxi, Jiahe (present day Tongxiang, Jiaxing). He was also known as Daoyuan or Jueyin, among several other nicknames. A disciple of Chan Master Xugu Xiling, he was noted for his pure and noble character and was honored as one of the Four Masters of Yin during the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368).
Having specialized in cursive script, Jueyin was particularly gifted in the astoundingly free style of Huaisu’s calligraphy. His landscape paintings are as graceful as monk Juran’s, and his ever-changing snowy mountains appear profoundly similar to that of Mi Youren and Fang Congyi. Jueyin’s existing works include Chang Bridge over the Wu River, in addition to three scrolls of paintings with poetry.