Juchao (1811-1865), the word Meisheng, the number Meichao. A native of Panyu County, Guangdong Province. He works calligraphy, good deeds of grass, can poetry and painting, and also has the reputation of "three absolutes" of poetry and painting. His landscapes, flowers and grass worms are fresh and vivid, and his teacher Yun Shouping.
His paintings are most famous for their flower and bird paintings, which occupy an important position in the history of flower and bird painting in the late Qing Dynasty, and are the dawn-like figures that appeared in the painting world of Wan Ma Qizhao after the middle of the Qing Dynasty, and he is also another flower and bird painter in Lingnan region after Lin Liang in the Ming Dynasty. The Jupai flower and bird painting founded by him and his brother Ju Lian was one of the two most important schools of flower and bird painting in Guangdong at that time.
The paintings of flowers and birds living in the nest are based on the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, and further develop yun Nantian's boneless painting method. His hook line has the feeling of a book, with a book into the painting, while the water color is full, many leaves are left on the paper with water when painting, after drying there will be a very heavy water stain, which is by texture to increase the vividness of the painting.
Ju Lian's style advocates shape, his brushwork is both writing and workmanship, and the pursuit is yun Nantian's style. He himself is also very admiring of Yun Nantian, thinking that he is a follower of Yun Nantian, in other words today, it is star chasing, and even the name of his studio is also the name of Yun's studio, called "Ouxiangguan".
His lifelong artistic pursuits have a deep relationship with the people he usually comes into contact with. Since the age of 37, he and his brother have been living under the prefect of Zhang Jingxiu. Zhang Jingxiu went to Guangxi to become an official or return home, and both of the Ju brothers followed him until Zhang Jingxiu's death in 1864. Here in Zhang Jingxiu, Ju Chao was again a staff officer and painted for him, and he also became good friends with Zhang Jingxiu's son Zhang Jiamu. Zhang's father and son have provided living security for Juchao for many years, which is the premise of his success.
Juchao is different from Julian, Julian widely accepts disciples, Juchao never accepts apprentices, but he has a profound influence on the flower and bird paintings of later generations. Later, the Chinese painting circle also believed that his reputation and the reputation of the landscape painter Li Jian (Erqiao) were equally important, especially with the rise of Gao Jianfu and others in the Lingnan School, the status of Juchao gradually rose.