中国明代中期的著名职业画家。他生活在成化至嘉靖年间，生卒年不详。字舜卿，号东村，吴(今江苏苏州)人，生年不详，卒于明世宗嘉靖十四年(即1535年)。擅长画人物和山水，画法严整工细。他有两个学生特别著名，一个唐寅，另一个仇英，唐寅、仇英青出于蓝，风格上极为接近，但当时名气已超过老师。
       周臣山水师承陈暹。曾刻苦临摹 李成、郭熙、李唐、马远等作品，其主要取法于李唐派系。画山石坚凝，章法严谨，用笔纯熟。曾与戴进并驱，则互有所长。人物画也非常出色，古貌奇姿，绵密萧散，各极意态。南京博物院收藏的周臣代表作《柴门送别图》 ，描绘一文人携琴访友后，主客分别时依依不舍的情景，明月早已挂在高空，船工也已在船头熟睡，直至客人快要上船了，他还未酲来，说明主客送别时间之长，友谊之深，这其中也融含周臣画体的"院体画"与"文人画"的相融之处。周臣被人 们称为非院派的"院派"画家。

《春山游骑图》绢本，淡设色，纵;185厘米，横:64厘米。故宫博物院藏。
       此图所描绘的是风和日丽的春天中，游骑行旅的景致。春山叠翠，小桥流水，主仆一行三人正在过桥，近景山溪岸边，春花几树，山溪湍流有声，山崖巨石用小斧劈加渲染，多用于阴面，山石呈一定的亮度，使山川雄中寓秀。山上苍松浓郁，遒劲多姿。舍后绿树成荫，一派春机昂然的景象。整幅作品，构图清旷周密，自然得体。画家在全景式的构图中突出前景，着意表现春山、游骑、桃花、虬松，以用来点明题意。其他衬景则比较简略。
       周臣此作品系传统的春游、山行题材。图绘春山、旅店、游骑和行旅者的活动情景。构图清旷周密，笔法清秀，融合了北宋李成、郭熙及南宋李唐、刘松年画法，山石用小斧劈皴，人物用细线淡色，别具新意。该图为周臣山水画的代表之作。款署"东村周臣"，钤"东村"一印。

唐寅、仇英出自周臣门下，青出于蓝，其表现在作品风格上。后人以为唐寅成名后 多请周臣代笔，此说未必可信。它只能说明周臣风貌与唐寅共同之处较多之故。到是后人为了牟利将周画款印挖去，改书唐氏之作，他们两人都不应负责。上海博物馆藏有《观瀑图》轴，技巧极精，称为佳作，当时的人们以周不如唐名气大，因而挖去周氏名，假唐笔书款，作祝寿礼物。
       现在看来，虽然周臣不如唐寅名声远播，但在艺术市场上周臣的作品并不比唐寅的价格低多少。以1990年11月28日纽约佳士得拍卖品为例，同时拍有周臣和唐寅的作品，周臣的一幅山水画《江庐远眺》轴，以14万美元成次，而唐寅的作品仅及这个价格的一半，当然，这也与作品本身的质量有关，一般说，唐寅的作品要比周臣的价格高一些，后人无不敬仰。

China's mid-Ming Dynasty famous professional painter. He lived in Chenghua to Jiajing years, birth and death unknown. The word Shunqing, No. East Village, Wu (nowSuzhouSuzhou), birth unknown, died in the Ming Sejong Jiajing fourteen years (ie 1535). Good at painting figures and landscapes, painting fine work fine. He has two students particularly famous, a Tang Yin, another Qiu Ying, Tang Yin, Qiu Yingqing out of blue, very close to the style, but the fame has more than the teacher.
       Zhou Chen Shanshi Chen Si. Has been hard copy Li Cheng, Guo Xi, Li Tang, Ma Yuan and other works, mainly from the Tang faction. Painting rock solid, condensed, rigorous use of pen. Once and Dai Jin and drive, then each other. Figure painting is also very good, ancient appearance Qi Zi, Mi Xiao scattered, the most Italian state. Nanjing Museum collection of Zhou Chen's masterpiece "Chai door farewell map", depicting a literati Qinqin friends, the host and guest were reluctant to part of the scene, the moon has long been hanging in the air, boatmen have been sleeping in the bow until the guests about to board , He has not yet come, that host farewell time long, deep friendship, which also incorporates Zhouchen painting of the "body painting" and "literati painting," the blending of the Department. Zhou Chen was known as the non-scholar "school" painter