Ming Wang Duo's Cursive Script Poem Scroll

Author: Shanghai Shuxue Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Faksimiles of calligraphy by famous masters throughout history. This volume was published in the Renwu year, which is the 15th year of the Chongzhen era (1642), and the first two poems recorded in this volume were not included in Selected Poems of Nishanyuan. The second poem was written in the Jimao year. The third and fourth poems appear in the Five-Character Poems volume of Selected Poems of Nishanyuan, published by Taiwan Student Book Company in April 1979. The third poem, titled "Eagle Peak Temple with Friend Cang Shangren," was originally titled "Eagle Peak with Friend Cang." The Complete Collection of Chinese Calligraphy (Volume 62, Wang Duo II) includes a rubbing of "Bai Xiang·Si Songjian Bookstore Letter to Friends—Four Poems," written by Wang Duo in the 14th year of the Chongzhen era (1641). This rubbing also features this poem, titled "Eagle Peak Inscription to Friend Cang Monk," with a note stating "Written in Jimao year at Donghu Lake, Huaizhou, in the Xinsi year," indicating that this poem was also an old work by Wang Duo from the Jimao year. The fourth poem, "Seeing Off Zhao Kaifu," was originally titled "Seeing Off Kaifu." In the 15th year of the Chongzhen era, Wang Duo was in exile in Huaizhou and was hosted by Zhang Gongzu, to whom he gifted two works: "Calligraphy Scroll of Poems to Zhang Baoyi" and "Cursive Calligraphy Scroll of Poems to Zhang Baoyi." Zhang Baoyi, whose name was Pei, was from Pinghu, Zhejiang, skilled in landscape painting and also versed in medicine. In this scroll, he is referred to as "Gongzu," suggesting that this person was a local official in Huaizhou. The writing time of this scroll aligns with the two aforementioned masterpieces, and the content of the inscription matches Wang Duo's frequent exchanges with Zhang Gongzu at the time, serving as evidence that this scroll is indeed an authentic work by Wang Duo. The 15th year of the Chongzhen era was a pivotal year in Wang Duo's calligraphic art. Huang Daozhou, when evaluating Wang Duo's calligraphy, remarked: "In running script and cursive script, Wang Jiesi is unparalleled. Jiesi is still in his prime, and I see his transformation at fifty." (Volume 14 of Huang Zhangpu Collection, Discussions on Calligraphy Grades) This year, Wang Duo was exactly fifty years old. After years of dedicated study of the calligraphy of the Two Wangs, Eastern Jin, and Mi Fu, and after enduring a major political failure, he finally achieved "self-transformation" and reached the second peak of his calligraphic art. His earlier works, which were "like taking shadows from lights, not missing a single hair" (Qian Qianyi, Mu Zhai Collection, You Xue Ji, Volume 30), had already shed the of imitation by the time of "Calligraphy Scroll of Poems to Zhang Baoyi" and "Cursive Calligraphy Scroll of Poems to Zhang Baoyi," displaying a more assertive and dynamic style. The "Cursive Calligraphy Scroll of Poems to Zhang Baoyi" is also one of the earliest long scrolls of Wang Duo's cursive calligraphy known to date. In summary, Wang Duo's works from this year hold great significance in the development of his calligraphic art.