「Look at the Picture and Talk about the Painting」 Calligraphy Exhibition at the Shanghai Museum: A Thousand Years of Ink and Brush, A Direct Line of Succession

In the Shanghai calligraphy exhibition, the story of brush and ink unfolds over a thousand years.

The fragments of the Xiping Stone Classics of the Eastern Han Dynasty’s “Zhouyi” carry the bustling memories of the Luoyang Imperial College. Back then, 46 stone tablets attracted tens of thousands of people to copy them. Cai Yong established the standard for the Confucian classics with the “silkworm head and wild goose tail” style of Han clerical script, ending the chaos of copying the classics and making calligraphy a carrier of civilization.

The rubbing of the “Cao Quan Stele” is a unique piece from before the stele was damaged in the Ming Dynasty. Its elegant and gentle calligraphy continues the bloodline of Han clerical script with its fluid lines, contrasting with the Xiping Stone Classics to depict the transition of Han calligraphy from official norms to the artistic interests of scholars.
In the Jin and Tang calligraphy section, the “Diamond Sutra” collection by Wang Xizhi in regular script and running script seamlessly blend the solemnity of regular script with the fluidity of running script. This Song rubbing has become a precious evidence for emulating the spirit of the calligraphy sage.

The only copy of Wang Anshi’s work from the Song Dynasty is full of “leisure and ease”. This reformer’s calligraphy was called “unconventional method” by Su Shi. As one of the 195 cultural relics prohibited from leaving the country, the ink marks on the scroll reveal the transition of calligraphy from “adhering to rules” to “expressing emotions”, and reflect the spirit of scholars and the tides of history. From the regular script of the Xiping Stone Classics of the Eastern Han Dynasty to the wild cursive of Gao Xian’s “Thousand Character Text in Cursive Script” in the Tang Dynasty; from Dong Qichang’s “Running Script of the Treasure Tripod Song” in the style of Yan Zhenqing to Ni Yuanlu’s “Running Script of the Jinshan Poem” with its bold and slanting style; and then to Chen Bi’s copy of Zhang Xu’s clerical cursive – there are too many treasures to list. More undulations of the brushstrokes and breaths of ink are hidden deep in the display cases. If you are interested, why not visit the Shanghai Museum in person to experience the charm of calligraphy that has lasted for a thousand years.
The tea for today is all gone. Next time, I’ll brew a fresh pot and enjoy art with you again.