Zhao Mengfu's "The Red Cliff Ode" (Four Types of Calligraphy)

Author: Ji Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Zhao Mengfu (1254–1322), styled Ziyang, styled Songxue, also styled Shuijing Palace Taoist, was a native of Huzhou (now Wuxing, Zhejiang). He was the eleventh-generation descendant of Emperor Taizu of Song and the descendant of Prince Qin Zhao Defang. In his early years, he was appointed as the Assistant Magistrate of Zhenzhou through his father's official position. After the fall of the Song Dynasty, he retired to live at home, "further dedicating himself to studies," and gained a reputation in his hometown. In the 23rd year of the Zhiyuan era (1286), he was recommended by Cheng Jufu, the envoy of the Imperial Court, and summoned to the capital. He held successive positions such as Vice Commissioner of the Jinan General Administration, Scholar-in-charge of the Jiangzhe Provincial Academy, and Academician of the Hanlin Academy. He was enfeoffed as Duke of Wei and posthumously titled Wenmin. He was skilled in poetry and prose, as well as painting figures, horse-drawn carriages, landscapes, and flowers. He excelled in calligraphy, mastering Seal, Clerical, Zhexu, Running, and Cursive scripts, all of which were unparalleled. His Running and Cursive scripts were particularly renowned in his time. The influence of his advocacy of integrating calligraphy into painting on later generations was immense. He authored The Collection of Songxue Studio. His wife, Guandao Sheng, and his son, Zhao Yong, were also skilled in painting and calligraphy. The Front and Rear Prefaces to the Red Cliff Odes, in paper-bound album form, consists of eleven sections and twenty-one pages, with an image of Su Dongpo at the beginning of the scroll. It is now preserved in the Taipei Palace Museum. Written in the 5th year of the Dade era of the Yuan Dynasty (1301), when Zhao Mengfu was forty-eight years old, the scroll features spacious and balanced line spacing, round and vigorous brushwork, delicate and elegant strokes, graceful and flowing beauty, inherent character, and ethereal charm, fully embodying the artistic heritage of the Wei and Jin dynasties. It represents Zhao's mid-career deep study of the calligraphy styles of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, making it an excellent model for learning Zhao's Running script. In addition to The Front and Rear Prefaces to the Red Cliff Odes, this book also includes four of Zhao's Running and Cursive calligraphy works—The Muddy Dust Scroll, The Mountain Scroll, The Return to the Mountains Scroll, and The Drunken Dream Scroll—for study and appreciation.