This artwork, title "Buddha," was created by Jin Nong (1687–1763). Jin Nong was born in Hangzhou in the twenty-sixth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty and eventually moved to and settled in Yangzhou following the death of his wife, where he ultimately passed away in the twenty-eighth year of the Qianlong reign.
A man of many talents, Jin Nong initially established himself as a poet and became renowned for poetry in the Jiangnan district. His literary talent was recognised by masters such as Mao Qiling and Zhu Yizun, and he later studied under the renowned scholar He Zhuo. Jin Nong was also an accomplished calligrapher. His calligraphic styles were rooted in the clerical script, but he developed them into distinctive forms, the most famous of which became known as the "lacquer script." This style was characterised by a pure and incisive quality and reflected his highly individual artistic approach.
It was only in his fifties that he began to paint seriously. His paintings were characterised by classical elegance and a deliberate departure from established conventions. This gained him a place among the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou" and made him the most famous among them. Jin Nong painted a variety of subjects, including bamboo, plum blossoms, horses, Buddha figures, landscapes, and flowers. Many of his paintings also incorporated long inscriptions, reflecting his deep literary cultivation and bringing together his talents as a painter, poet, and calligrapher.
At the age of fifty, he was recommended for the prestigious Boxue Hongci imperial examination but was not selected, and he continued to live the rest of his life as a commoner making a living by selling his paintings. His works continued to reflect his literary depth, creativity, and unconventional artistic spirit influencing future artists like Zhao Zhiqian, Wu Changshuo, and Qi Baishi.
In this artwork rendered with simple brushstrokes and a light wash of refreshing colours, the Buddha is depicted wearing saffron-coloured robes and is seated beneath a tree, with his eyes closed, as though immersed in meditation. His bearded face and closely-shaven hair gives the Buddha an unusual appearance when compared with more familiar representations. The calligraphic inscription on the upper right section of the artwork adds another dimension to the composition. The work is signed by the artists and also bears the seals of three collectors including those of Tu Zhuo (1781–1828) and Pan Shengan (19th–20th century). The simple and unconventional representation of the Buddha in this composition creates an image that is both contemplative and highly individual, reflecting the unconventional artistic character for which Jin Nong became renowned.
Jin Nong’s Buddha offers a strikingly personal vision of spiritual contemplation, departing from the idealised grandeur of conventional Buddhist imagery. Seated beneath a tree, the figure’s closed eyes and saffron robes establish an atmosphere of inward stillness, while his bearded face introduces an unexpected humanity into the sacred subject. The economical brushwork and delicate washes suggest that spiritual presence requires neither ornamental excess nor anatomical perfection. Instead, simplicity becomes an expressive discipline, allowing the image to hover between physical individuality and meditative abstraction. Jin Nong’s distinctive calligraphic sensibility extends beyond the inscription into the painting itself, where the character of each stroke contributes to its contemplative rhythm. Reflecting the unconventional spirit of the Yangzhou literati, the work unites painting, poetry, and personal interpretation, transforming the Buddha from a distant icon into an intimate presence shaped by artistic introspection.
