Fu Baoshi’s inscription reads: Ni Zan [1306–1374] said, “What I call painting does not exceed the joy of careless sketching with the brush. I do not seek formal likeness but do it simply for my own amusement.” To evaluate painting, there were different categories of greatness: divine [shen], wonderful [miao], competent [neng], and effortless [yi]. Wasn’t the [eighth-century] critic Zhu Jingxuan perceptive in this regard? Painted during the yichou year [1925] for the advice of Mr. Zhenqing. Master of the Studio for Embracing Stones. —Trans. Anita Chung
