Wen Zhengming: From Imitation to Creation

Author: Xiang Bin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Wen Zhengming (1470), originally named Bi, Wei Ming was his courtesy name. At the age of forty-two, he changed his name to Wei Ming and also took the name Wei Zhong. Mr. Zhou Daozhen believes that the character "Bi" in "Wen Bi" does not follow "jade" but follows "earth," meaning "Wen Bi" should not be written as "Wen Bi." Therefore, both Wen Bi and his brothers Wen Gui and Wen Shi took their names from the names of constellations, all following "earth." Wen Zhengming was born on the sixth day of the tenth month in the Gengyin year (1470) of the Chenghua era of the Ming. In his childhood, he appeared dull; it was said that at the age of five or six, he still struggled to stand steadily, and by the age of eight or nine, he could not speak clearly. At the age of thirteen, Wen Zhengming followed his father Wen Lin to Boping County in Shandong, where he gradually revealed his intelligence and memory for memorizing texts. At the age of sixteen, he returned to Changzhou (now Suzhou, Jiangsu), where he met and interacted with Tang Yin, who was the same age as him, as well as Zhu Yunming, who was a few years older, and also studied poetry with Du Mu, who was eleven years older than him. At the age of nineteen, Wen Zhengming passed the examination to become a student in Changzhou County, but he disliked the rigid format of the eight-legged essay and preferred studying classical texts such as the Zuo Zhuan, the Records of the Grand Historian, and the Fables of the Han Dynasty. Wen Zhengming's formal engagement in the arts of calligraphy and painting began at the age of sixteen when he formed friendships with Tang Yin, Du Mu, and Ren Ding. He often discussed painting techniques with Tang Yin. As for poetry, in addition to studying with Du Mu, he accompanied his father to Nanjing at the age of seventeen to study with Lü Tai Chang, the Vice Minister of the Imperial Stables. At the age of twenty-two, he also studied under Li Yingzhen, a close friend of his father. Li Yingzhen shared his insights and calligraphic techniques with Wen Zhengming and advised him that calligraphy should not rigidly follow the footsteps of the ancients. He warned that the major pitfalls in learning calligraphy were "the clever becoming overly clever" and "the traditionalists sticking rigidly to conventions." At the age of twenty-six, Wen Zhengming followed his father to study with Wu Kuan, who taught him the methods of writing classical essays and often praised Wen Zhengming's talent among officials. That same year, Wen Zhengming also studied painting with Shen Zhou, gaining his true transmission, which paved the way for him to enter the "Four Masters of the Ming Dynasty" in painting. Wen Zhengming's regular script before the age of fifty primarily involved emulating Zhi Yong and studying the styles of the Song and Yuan dynasties, mainly influenced by Zhi Yong and Yue Mengfu. His running script and cursive script followed the styles of Su Shi and Kang Li. Works from this period include the Biographies of the High Officials, Xiang Jun, Xiang Fu, and the Postscript to the Letter of Zhao and Wei. The calligraphy is delicate and exquisitely beautiful. His running script Poetry of Wen Xin Guo exhibits the style of Su Shi. These can be considered representative works of his early calligraphy. After the age of fifty, he became a court painter in the Hanlin Academy, and Feng Fang said, "Due to writing imperial decrees, he gradually adopted the contemporary style, becoming more orderly." This period's regular script differs from the earlier small regular script, featuring more rules of the Ou style and a more orderly and vigorous structure. After retiring from office, his calligraphy broke free from the constraints of the Song and Yuan dynasties, focusing on the styles of the Jin and Tang dynasties. Wang Shi Zhen said, "As a court painter, his small regular script emulating the Two Wangs is exquisitely crafted, though lacking sharpness. He also wrote in the style of Ouyang Xun. In his youth, his cursive script followed Huai Su, and his running script imitated Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, and Zhu Xi, as well as the Sacred Teachings. In his later years, he modified the Sacred Teachings, adding a sense of age and thus creating his own style." At this time, his running script also changed significantly, with less of the boldness of Kang Li and the style of Hezhao. In printed works, there are the Fable of the Palace of Flying Apes, the Fable of the Red Cliff, the Poem of Reflections, and the Thousand Characters, all showing his spiritual charm and elegance. After the age of eighty, his large characters imitated the style of Huang Tingjian, as seen in the Early Morning Court Poem in the Baize Hall. Wen Zhengming's clerical script gained fame early in his career. Li Dongyang was renowned for his clerical script, and after seeing Wen Zhengming's work, he said, "My clerical script is inferior to Wen's." His clerical script was often used in inscriptions on steles, such as the Inscription for the Village Drinking Ritual and the Record of the Spring Grass Studio, where his vigorous brushwork is evident. Wen Zhengming's calligraphic works were mostly written in the Thousand Characters, followed by Su Shi's Front and Rear Fables of the Red Cliff. According to some records and inscriptions, his calligraphic works were often created while traveling on lakes, when he could not sleep at night, or when he had nothing to do or had leftover ink. Most of them were spontaneous works. His running script Fable of the Red Cliff written after the age of eighty had reached a realm of perfection. He integrated the strengths of various schools and created his own unique style, making it difficult to discern any specific influence. His last Fable of the Red Cliff, written only four months before his death, appeared even more profound and solemn. In summary, Wen Zhengming's integrity in character and his achievements in painting and calligraphy are worth learning from and emulating. His works have greatly enriched China's artistic tradition, and as an outstanding artist of the Ming Dynasty, he is fully deserving of the title.