Wu Huafen Manuscripts

Author: Wu Huafen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-09-01
Features: This book is compiled based on the unfinished manuscripts and inscriptions left by Wu Huafen, preserved at the Shanghai Library. It includes five volumes of diaries, Notes from Mei Jing Study, Private Thoughts, Inscriptions from Mei Jing Study, and Wu Family's Records of Paintings and Calligraphy. The diaries are a true record of his turbulent years, containing many valuable historical materials and anecdotes of the contemporary art world. In addition to painting, Wu Huafen was particularly fond of writing ci poems. Private Thoughts collects his poems from the period after the War of Resistance and before the founding of the People's Republic, alongside Traces of Ci Poems on the Northern Song, revealing his outstanding literary talent, which was little known to outsiders. Notes from Mei Jing Study are notes on painting and calligraphy, showcasing his profound knowledge and unique aesthetic perspective. Wu Huafen left behind Records of Artistic Discourses from Chou Yi and Inscriptions from Chou Yi, which were unpublished and unfortunately lost during the Cultural Revolution. Inscriptions from Mei Jing Study and Wu Family's Records of Paintings and Calligraphy document various inscriptions he wrote while appraising and collecting artworks. Since most of Wu's collection consisted of famous works, these materials hold significant reference value for the study of art history. As an important figure in the 20th-century Chinese painting scene, Wu Huafen's significance in art history far exceeds that of an ordinary painter. In his early years, he was known as "Southern Wu" alongside Pu Ru, and as "Northern Zhang, Southern Wu" alongside Zhang Daqian. Later, he was part of the "Three Wus and Feng" alongside Wu Zishen, Wu Daiqiu, and Feng Chaoran. He was persecuted to death during the Cultural Revolution at the age of 75.
Wu Huafen's paintings primarily focused on landscapes. He initially learned from the "Four Wangs," then followed the style of Dong Qichang, and further traced back to Zhao Mengfu, Huang Gongwang, Guo Xi, and Dong Yuan. His style was meticulous, rich, and elegant, with a noble and refined atmosphere. His calligraphy was equally exquisite across all four scripts. He was also skilled in mounting and preserving artworks, and any piece he handled was meticulously framed and boxed. His lifelong dedication to calligraphy and painting could be described as "wearing the subtle light of cultural relics."
Wu Huafen's uniqueness also lies in his background. He was the grandson of the renowned Qing Dynasty calligrapher and painter Wu Dazhao, who intended for Wu Huafen to inherit the family's artistic legacy, leaving most of his calligraphy and painting collections to him. He was also the grandson-in-law of the great collector Shen Yunchu, whose collection included the Epitaph of Chang Chounu from the Sui Dynasty, originally owned by Jin Nong, one of the "Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou." Shen acquired it and gave it to Wu Dazhao, who then passed it to Wu Huafen, leading him to adopt the name "Chou Yi." Another reason for the richness of Wu's collection was that his wife, Pan Jingshu, was the niece of Pan Zuyin, a Qing Dynasty military minister during the Guangxu era. The Pan family was also a major collector, and some of their works were brought into the Wu family when Pan Jingshu married.
The names of Wu Huafen's study were derived from his collections. Mei Jing Study came from the Northern Song Dynasty calligraphy work Poems from Du Jing Tower and the Southern Song woodblock print The Joy of Plum Blossoms. The name Four Ouyang Study originated from the four inscriptions by Tang Dynasty calligrapher Ouyang Xun in Wu's collection, hence the name "Four Ouyang." Each of these inscriptions had a story behind it. When Pan Jingshu married, her father Pan Zunian (Pan Zuyin's younger brother) gave her three of Ouyang Xun's famous calligraphy works: Epitaph of Huadu Temple Pagoda, Inscription of the Nine Dragons Spring in Jiucheng Palace, and Epitaph of Huangfu Dan. In Wu Dazhao's family legacy, there happened to be another Ouyang Xun inscription: Epitaph of Yu Gonggong. These four inscriptions,, were extremely rare. Wu Huafen thus proudly called his study "Four Ouyang Study."