Wu Changshuo's Album of Flowers and Fruits

Author: Wu Changshuo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Wu Changshuo (1844-1927), styled Junqing, known as Changshuo, also written as Cangshi, styled Fulu and Kuitie, later styled Dalong, was a native of Anji, Zhejiang. He graduated by practicing the "Shigudwen" script, incorporating the style of bronze inscriptions from the Three Dynasties into it, blending it with cursive techniques. His composition and brushwork broke from the conventions of predecessors, creating original styles. At the same time, he used "Shigudwen" as the foundation for his seals, giving birth to a majestic and robust style characterized by vigorous and expressive brushwork. Wu Changshuo's poetry, influenced by Wang Wei, excelled in five-character regulated verse and particularly in ancient-style long poems. He also wrote many inscriptions for paintings, prefaces, and inscriptions on stone inkstones, all rich in literary and artistic charm. His poetry collections include "Fulu Poetry," "Fulu Collection," and "Fulu Separate Collection."
Wu Changshuo grounded his painting in calligraphy, infusing the brushwork of bronze and stone inscriptions into his art. His flowers, vegetables, fruits, and landscapes all possessed a powerful and robust vitality. With a strong artistic personality, his style shook the era and gained fame far and wide. This album contains twelve illustrations. The author, with fluent brushwork, depicted over a dozen flowers and fruits, including orchids and rocks, gardenias, grapes and red chrysanthemums, magnolias, lychees, impatiens, apricot blossoms, peach fruits, lotuses, pears and durians, peonies, and pomegranates. Each piece is accompanied by self-composed poems and seals, where poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seals are seamlessly integrated, complementing each other. His brushwork, ink application, color rendering, inscriptions, and seal impressions all demonstrate meticulous craftsmanship. Every stroke, every branch, every leaf is full of vitality and a strong sense of stone and metal. The brushwork varies between dry and wet, the colors are bright, and the ink blends harmoniously, filling the entire scene with a vibrant energy. His paintings focus on spirit rather than form, on force rather than posture, making them highly valuable for artistic appreciation.