Chinese Calligraphy: Modern Chinese Calligraphy
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Poem in Running Script (detail), By Yang Shoujing, Republic period, dated 1913 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
Asian Gallery (Toyokan) Room 8
February 28, 2017 (Tue) - April 23, 2017 (Sun)The Stele school reached its heyday during the Daoguang era (1821–50), and its pinnacle through the accomplishments of Zhao Zhiqian (1829–84). Initially, many of the Stele school calligraphers were influenced by writings such as the regular script of the Northern Wei dynasty, but later, those inspired by ancient characters seen in the inscriptions on bronzes began to work in a wide variety of styles. Thus the cult of Wang Xizhi, worshipped for over 1600 years, had finally came to an end through the emergence of the Stele school. The Stele school maintained its power into the Republic period, which began in 1911. The calligraphy and theories of the Stele school were introduced to Japan by figures such as Yang Shoujing (1839–1915) and Kang Youwei (1858–1927), and influenced trends in Japanese calligraphy. This exhibition is an overview of calligraphy in China, from the end of the 19th to the beginning of the 20th century.
Current exhibit includes:
Calligraphy in Standard Script, By Zhao Zhiqian, Qing dynasty, dated 1866 (Gift of Mr. Aoyama San'u)
Poem in Running Script, By Yang Shoujing, Republic period, dated 1913 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
Ancient Style Poem in Seven-character Phrases in Running Script, By Zhao Zhiqian, Qing dynasty, dated 1883 (Gift of Mr. Takashima Kikujiro)
Compendium of Yenhsien's Poetry in Running Script, By Kang Youwei, Taisho period, ca. 1912 (Gift of Ms. Yoshino Hiroko)
Writing after Four Inscriptions on Bronzeware, By Luo Zhenyu, Qing dynasty-Republic period, 19th - 20th century (Gift of Mr. Aoyama San'u)