Chinese calligraphy and painting

Author: Yang Renkai
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-01-01
Features: A detailed introduction and critique of ancient Chinese calligraphy and painting by the master of art authentication, Yang Renkai. Chinese ancient culture is profound and extensive, with calligraphy and painting as two shining gems that complement each other. A single scroll of Along the River During the Qingming Festival records the original state of life in the Northern Song Dynasty, almost becoming the Dream of the Red Chamber of painting, with countless researchers and appraisers over the years. A single scroll of Travelers among Mountains and Streams features a waterfall like a silk ribbon, falling vertically for a thousand feet, leaving later generations in awe. A single scroll of Wang Xizhi’s Preface to the Orchid Pavilion even captivated Emperor Taizong of Tang, who was obsessed with obtaining it. Ink wash, colored, landscapes, flowers and birds, long scrolls, short scrolls, running script, clerical script, regular script, cursive script—Chinese culture comes to life on the tip of the brush.
Publishing Statement: The series of cultural relic and museum textbooks, including Chinese Archaeology, Fundamentals of Chinese Museum Studies, Chinese Ceramics, Chinese Bronzes, Chinese Calligraphy and Painting, and Ancient Chinese Architecture, edited under the auspices of the National Cultural Relics Administration, have been published by Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House since 1990. They have received strong responses from the cultural relic and museum community, as well as from professionals and enthusiasts in all sectors, and have been reprinted multiple times at the request of readers. In the past decade, China’s cultural relic and museum industry has made significant progress, with new discoveries and achievements emerging continuously. To reflect the new developments in the industry in a timely manner and to make the textbooks more complete and better meet the needs of readers, the National Cultural Relics Administration has organized the original authors to revise the textbooks. This revision has supplemented new research findings and content, corrected errors in the original text, and added color illustrations to some textbooks. Additionally, Chinese Ancient Coins has been published for the first time. The chief editors of each book in this series are all seasoned experts and scholars (some have passed away), who, despite their advanced age and frailty, personally contributed to the revision, for which we express our heartfelt gratitude. National Cultural Relics Administration, September 11, 2001
Excerpt: Calligraphy in the Qing Dynasty
I. Early Qing Dynasty (I) Folk Artists in Calligraphy—Fu Shan, Wang Duo, Zhu Da, and Shi Tao
During the transition between the Ming and Qing dynasties, a group of folk artists dissatisfied with the new dynasty’s rule retreated to the mountains and forests, immersing themselves in calligraphy. They often expressed their frustrations through calligraphy, resulting in works with strong individuality and unconventional brushwork and structure. Fu Shan was a representative figure.
Fu Shan (1607–1684), styled Qingzhu, alias Gongta, was from Yangqu, Shanxi. He was a renowned thinker, physician, painter, and calligrapher. He was stubborn, declined the imperial examination for erudite scholars, and possessed a strong national consciousness. In the art of calligraphy, he pursued uniqueness and resilience. At a young age, he studied the regular script of the Jin and Tang dynasties, later acquiring the calligraphy of Zhao Mengfu and Dong Qichang, and his imitations were almost indistinguishable from the originals. However, he felt ashamed and believed that “studying the upright and noble was like associating with virtuous gentlemen, yet I found it difficult to approach them, and when I associated with the unworthy, I unknowingly grew closer to them every day.” He despised Zhao’s shallow and vulgar style and resolved to study Yan Zhenqing instead, proposing: “Choose clumsiness over skill, imperfection over charm, unevenness over smoothness, and sincerity over artificiality.” His mature calligraphy embodied this pursuit. Due to his deep understanding of traditional calligraphy, he had studied not only the neat small regular script but also Zhao’s flowing style, Dong’s elegant and refined script, and Yan’s bold and robust style. Therefore, the clumsiness, imperfection, unevenness, and sincerity in his calligraphy were born from a foundation of skill, charm, roundness, and regularity, making them both rustic and fluid, powerful yet graceful. His Running Script Record of the Red Maple Pavilion (housed in the Liaoning Provincial Museum) features round and strong strokes, blending firmness with flexibility; its structure is robust yet elegant, combining the essence of Yan, Liu, and the Wang brothers. It is a representative work of integrating various styles. His Cursive Script Poem of Meng Haoran (housed in the Palace Museum, Plate 235) is unrestrained and dynamic, full of sincerity, with characters not connected to each other, yet intentionally arranged with the rules of regular script. His long scrolls, especially, are characterized by “extraordinary brush power.” The Running Script Poem (housed in the Liaoning Provincial Museum) writes running script with cursive script, executed in one continuous flow, with a dynamic and powerful momentum, both bold and elegant, embodying a grand. However, his early running and cursive script was heavily influenced by Wang Duo.
Zhu Da was a famous painter of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties and also a calligrapher with a unique style. His calligraphy was influenced by Zhong You, Wang Xizhi, and Yan Zhenqing, and also benefited from Dong Qichang. His running and cursive script had distinctive features. He often used blunt brushes and hidden strokes, with evenly thick and thin lines, rounded turns, and varying sizes,. Shao Changheng’s Qingmen Travel Diary said: “Running script and regular script learn from the Great Commanders and the Duke of Lu. The is strange and magnificent.” Zhang Geng’s Record of Paintings of the Current Generation said: “Calligraphy has the style of the Jin and Tang dynasties.” Long Kebao’s Record of Ba Da Shanren’s Paintings pointed out: “His running and cursive script deeply embodies the style of Qian Huating.” From existing works, his early and middle regular script learned from Ou Yangxun, and his running script followed Dong Qichang, such as the regular script preface in the Painting Album of Passing the Staff, imitating Ou Yangxun; his self-inscription at the age of forty-nine on Huang Anping’s Small Portrait of Ba Da Shanren (housed in the Ba Da Shanren Memorial Hall) resembles Dong Qichang. Later, he combined the brushwork of Huang Tingjian and Mi Fu, such as the inscription in the Plum Blossom Album at the age of fifty-two, full of Huang’s brushwork. After signing “Ba Da Shanren” after his fifties, he changed his script by practicing Zhong You, Wang Xizhi, Sun Guoting, and Yan Zhenqing, and his style became more upright at first, with sharp and pointed strokes, and fewer leaning structures. After the age of sixty-one, it tended to be more daring, with blunt brushes and dynamic movements, and scattered characters, like the Cursive Script Scroll (housed in the Palace Museum) with the twenty words “Guest from the short-long pavilion, wishes to paint ducks and cranes, the old man often suffers from shoulder pain, the crane’s momentum can be hit.” In his later years, he returned to uprightness, with round and strong brushwork and dignified and robust structures, like the One Hundred-Character Epigraph.
Shi Tao, like Zhu Da, was one of the “Four Monks of the Early Qing Dynasty” and was renowned for his painting, but also skilled in calligraphy. He excelled in running and clerical script, with diverse styles—some drawing inspiration from Su Shi, some resembling Ni Zan, some round and some unconventional. His true style incorporated elements of clerical script, with the brushwork of Six Dynasties sculpture inscriptions. His clerical script was influenced by Zheng Fu, also “spontaneous yet refined, without rigid rules.”
Wang Duo (1592–1652) was a representative calligrapher of the early Qing Dynasty. After entering the Qing court as an official, he faced criticism, which somewhat affected his reputation. In terms of calligraphic skill, he was even deeper than Fu Shan. His style was Qiesi, styled Shique, also known as Songqiao, Chidian, etc., and was from Mengjin, Henan. He passed the imperial examination in the second year of the Ming Tianqi era and became the Grand Secretary of the Dongge University in the Hongguang court of the Southern Ming after the Qing army entered the capital. After entering the Qing court, he rose to become Minister of Rites. His calligraphy covered all styles, with regular script influenced by Zhong You and Yan Zhenqing, both dignified and elegant, like the Regular Script Poem of Wang Wei. However, his “running and cursive script was the most outstanding” (Han Ang’s Continuation of the Treasury of Paintings and Calligraphy), “following the father and son of Shanyin” (Jiang Shaoshu’s Poetry without Sound), and also drawing on the strengths of Mi Fu. His inheritance was similar to Dong Qichang, but he developed a completely different style. Dong was gentle and elegant, while Wang “corrected long-standing habits and uniquely stood out with his spirit and bones,” excelling in “dark and lush, grand and vibrant.” Liang Yan’s Commentary on Calligraphy pointed out his brushwork characteristics: “Mastering the holding method, learning from Mi Nan Gong, aged and strong, all relying on strength.” He learned from Mi Fu, using the round brushwork of seal script to write turns, appearing calm and reserved, and also used sharp turns to add strength. For example, the Cursive Script Learning Ancient Scrolls (housed in the Liaoning Provincial Museum) has a continuous and flowing momentum, with square brushwork at the start and turns, heavy yet not rigid, combining both softness and strength, especially strong in bone. His structure and layout also had distinctive features, with unconventional characters, sometimes leaning to the east or west, or top-heavy, with varying sizes and densities, creating a balanced effect through harmonious arrangements between characters. He was able to retract while extending, and maintain balance in danger, forming a dynamic and unified artistic effect. For example, the Cursive Script Du Poem (housed in the Liaoning Provincial Museum, Plate 236).