Original color printing. Essence of Chinese calligraphy in China - Wang Duo Wangwu Tu Shi

Author: Liu Yuanshan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: The "Wangwu Tu Shu juan" was inscribed by Wang Duo while painting "Wangwu Mountain Residence" in his Beijing residence four years after he surrendered to the Qing Dynasty. It is now preserved in the Tianjin Museum. When Wang Duo transitioned from the Ming to the Qing Dynasty, he was scorned by many at the time. Although he became a new elite in the Qing court, he was still deeply troubled and melancholic: on one hand, his old friends had left him; on the other, he faced exclusion from the Manchu ruling group. As a result, he once indulged in sensual pleasures and gave up on himself. During this period, his calligraphy works were often in cursive script, which can be seen as the perfect reflection of his relief from accumulated frustrations, indignation, loneliness, and desolation—what is known as "being moved from within" and "expressing it through writing." This scroll of cursive script uses ink that is dark and moist, with bold and vigorous brushwork. The spacing is irregular and varied, combining unrestrained elegance with steady balance, and melancholy with a touch of vitality. From it, one can see the decades of effort he had dedicated, as well as his mastery in integrating the styles of "Er Wu," Li Beibei, Yan Zhenqing, Huaisu, Huang Tingjian, and Mi Fu into a harmonious realm.