.jpg?w=1)
.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Learning to Innovate: Ink Bleeding of Wang Duo’s Calligraphy
Ink is crucial in Chinese calligraphy and while the Song calligraphers are good at writing in thick ink, light ink is preferred by the Southern calligraphers of the late Ming period including Dong Qichang. At that time there were devotees who strictly followed the ancient calligraphers, yet there also existed explorers, like Wang Duo (1592-1652), who were determined to innovate for expressing their soul.
Thanks to his profound knowledge through studying and copying model calligraphies of the ancient masters, Wang Duo’s running-cursive script calligraphy has been the most appreciated and sought-after style amongst all his works. Executed on a very large scroll of satin when he was fifty years old, Wang’s Five-Character Poem in Cursive Script is spectacular far and near: the twists and turns of the powerful and rhythmical brushstrokes formed well-proportioned characters on the shimmering satin. His use of moist and heavy ink led to bleeding of ink in some characters, which shows his confidence and precision in mastering the brush, ink, water and satin for creating such a signature piece. From the Song calligrapher Mi Fu to the Ming masters Zhu Yunming and Xu Wei, ink bleeding technique has long been employed and Wang Duo’s Five-Character Poem in Cursive Script is indeed a perfect marriage of brush and ink.
This gigantic masterpiece was once in the collection of Halin (1856-1934). A Hui native of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Halin went to Shanghai and became a successful businessman. He also served as Co-Director of the Shanghai Islamic Board and travelled twice to Japan. A collector and connoisseur of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, he was the Vice-Chairman of the Shanghai Tijingguan Calligraphy and Painting Association, and later he received the baton from Wu Changshuo and became President of Xiling Seal Society. Five-Character Poem in Cursive Script was possibly carried by Halin to Japan where it then became part of a Japanese private collection.
Ink is crucial in Chinese calligraphy and while the Song calligraphers are good at writing in thick ink, light ink is preferred by the Southern calligraphers of the late Ming period including Dong Qichang. At that time there were devotees who strictly followed the ancient calligraphers, yet there also existed explorers, like Wang Duo (1592-1652), who were determined to innovate for expressing their soul.
Thanks to his profound knowledge through studying and copying model calligraphies of the ancient masters, Wang Duo’s running-cursive script calligraphy has been the most appreciated and sought-after style amongst all his works. Executed on a very large scroll of satin when he was fifty years old, Wang’s Five-Character Poem in Cursive Script is spectacular far and near: the twists and turns of the powerful and rhythmical brushstrokes formed well-proportioned characters on the shimmering satin. His use of moist and heavy ink led to bleeding of ink in some characters, which shows his confidence and precision in mastering the brush, ink, water and satin for creating such a signature piece. From the Song calligrapher Mi Fu to the Ming masters Zhu Yunming and Xu Wei, ink bleeding technique has long been employed and Wang Duo’s Five-Character Poem in Cursive Script is indeed a perfect marriage of brush and ink.
This gigantic masterpiece was once in the collection of Halin (1856-1934). A Hui native of Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Halin went to Shanghai and became a successful businessman. He also served as Co-Director of the Shanghai Islamic Board and travelled twice to Japan. A collector and connoisseur of Chinese paintings and calligraphy, he was the Vice-Chairman of the Shanghai Tijingguan Calligraphy and Painting Association, and later he received the baton from Wu Changshuo and became President of Xiling Seal Society. Five-Character Poem in Cursive Script was possibly carried by Halin to Japan where it then became part of a Japanese private collection.