국립중앙박물관 NATIONAL MUSEUM OF KOREA

Zhuangzi and Butterfly

This painting is related to the anecdote of Zhuangzi’s butterfly dream. Here, Zhuangzi is shown sitting on grass and extending his right hand as if trying to catch a butterfly. The butterfly is depicted using ink smudging effect, and its antennas and legs are illustrated simply with thin ink lines. The painting bears an imprint of a seal reading “Let’s not forget each other for a long time.”