Zhang Ruitu's cursive calligraphy, with its vigorous strokes, exaggerated and distorted glyphs, and flowing momentum, constitutes a unique art world full of power, speed and change. Although the cursive "Lotus Ode" in this volume is in the form of an album, if viewed from a long scroll, it looks like a mountain stream, undulating, circling and dancing. It is a model work of his cursive writing style in his later years. After staying away from the grievances and disputes in the court, Zhang Ruitu, who has lived on the shores of East Lake for a long time, may have used lotus as a metaphor for himself, writing about his unrestrained life in seclusion, his Zen state of mind without desires, and his yearning for a pure and refined life.
Zhang Ruitu (1570-1644)
Cursive script "Lotus Ode"
Album (18 pages), ink on silk
Written in 1636
23×12 cm.×36 approximately 0.2 square feet (each picture)
RMB: 1,800,000-2,200,000
Seal:Zhang Rui Tu Yin, Fang He Pavilion
Appraisal seal:Qiu Dingxuan Master's Seal, Fenyang Liang's Collection of Books, Mianren Mountain Woodcutter, Treasures, Qiu Dingxuan's Master, Wu Hong's Seal, Wei Cao's Family
Title and postscript:People are born with good fortune and misfortune, and their growth cannot be concealed, so they are taken to prepare for the whole body, Hengzhai.
Seal:Jieshan
Remark:Christie's, Hong Kong, Spring 2007, Lot 811.
exhibition:"Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy of Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties (2)", hosted by Liaoning Provincial Museum and Poly Art Museum, September 18-October 6, 2010The best lotus flower in the world, turning and stretching the long bow freely
——Zhang Ruitu's cursive script "Lotus Ode"
Zhang Ruitu (1570-1641), named Changgong, Wuhua, nicknamed Ershui, Guotingshanren, Jiezi, Baihao Temple Master, Baihao Temple Taoist, etc., was born in Jinjiang City, Fujian Province in the fourth year of Longqing, Ming Dynasty.34 years oldParticipated in the provincial examination in Quanzhou Prefecture and passed the exam.38 years oldHe went to Beijing to take part in the imperial examination, and won the third place (Tanhua) in the palace examination. He was a Jinshi, and was officially awarded the Imperial Academy editorship.41 years oldHe took leave and returned to his hometown to recuperate and stayed at home for two years.45 years oldHe was ordered to go to Yunnan as an envoy. In the winter of that year, he arrived at his home in Donghu, Jinjiang. The following year, he went north to Beijing.51 years oldI took leave of absence and returned home again. The first year of Tianqi,52 years oldZhang Ruitu was promoted and left his hometown again to go to Beijing. He was appointed as Shao Zhanshi of Zhanshi Mansion and was promoted to the fourth rank.
55 years oldHe took leave again and returned to his hometown. He lived on the shore of East Lake and indulged himself in the mountains and rivers, singing poetry and writing, and entertaining himself with calligraphy and painting. Six years after the apocalypse,57 years oldZhang Ruitu went to Beijing to join the cabinet as the Minister of Rites. In September of the same year, Wei Zhongxian's shrine was built in West Lake, Hangzhou, and Zhang Ruitu wrote a monument for it.58 years oldAt the peak of his career, he became a bachelor of Jin Jianji Hall and became a junior master. In August of the same year, Ming Xizong died of illness, Wei Zhongxian committed suicide, and the eunuch party lost power. Officials who opposed Wei Zhongxian came forward to express their grievances for the Donglin Party. Zhang Ruitu felt uneasy and was very angry. Once I asked for help, finally in the first year of Chongzhen, he59 years oldAt that time, Sizong agreed that he would return to his hometown as an official, thus ending his official career of more than 20 years.
In the second year of Chongzhen (1629), Emperor Si Zong ordered his cabinet ministers Han Que and others to preside over the "counter-case". They would rely on Wei Zhongxian's ministers to list the crimes according to their crimes and punish them in different grades. At first, Han Que and others ranked more than 100 people under Wei Zhongxian into seven grades according to the severity of their crimes. Zhang Ruitu was not among them because he had no real evidence. Sizong said: "Ruitu is a monument of loyal and virtuous people, is it not true?" Then Zhang Ruitu was charged with the crime of "making friends with close servants and being inferior", and was ranked sixth in the "Reverse Case". He was a disciple for three years and was later accepted. Capital atonement for the people. After the second year of Chongzhen,60 years oldZhang Ruitu has been living in Jinjiang home until72 years oldAfter his death, he devoted the rest of his life to calligraphy.
On the map of China in 1582, the route from Quanzhou to Beijing was: Jiangxi→Zhejiang→Jiangsu (Nanjing)→Shandong→Beijing, a total distance of more than 2,000 kilometers.
In the late Ming Dynasty, politics was dark and corrupt, and party disputes were fierce. Zhang Ruitu took leave so frequently to return to his hometown, and traveled thousands of miles to and from Beijing and Quanzhou. He deliberately adopted an evasive policy to avoid being directly implicated in the rights and wrongs of the DPRK. . Even though he entered the cabinet as the Minister of Rites and held an important official position, Zhang Ruitu could not be found in the Records of the Ming Dynasty, the History of the Ming Dynasty, or other historical books, and he had not expressed any opinions on a certain political or personnel matter. He did not even leave a single comment. Shu Qizou. Later generations may have different opinions on Zhang Ruitu's official career and political conduct. Wu Dexuan, a native of the Qing Dynasty, commented: "Zhang Guoting and Wang Juesi (Duo) were decadent in character, but their calligraphy was in the style of the great masters of the Northern Song Dynasty. How can they be replaced by them?" Of.
" Liang Qian then commented:"In the Ming Dynasty, calligraphy competition favored soft and charming calligraphy. Wang (Duo) and Zhang (Ruitu) worked hard to correct their accumulated habits and set their own standards. Although they were not in a state of ecstasy, they were immortal."He also said: "The words of Wang Juexin and Zhang Ershui must be passed down. The reason why they must be passed down is that they actually have an old spirit in their ears." This is a relatively calm and fair evaluation. Although Zhang Ruitu's talent did not enable him to make any achievements in managing state affairs, he devoted his attention to calligraphy and achieved great success.Zhang Ruitu's calligraphy is very different from his predecessors and breaks new ground. His calligraphy style is unique, steep and sharp, with vivid strokes and strange postures. Regardless of the appearance or connotation of the calligraphy, it gives people a soul-cleansing impact and refreshes the viewer's spirit. Sharp and stubborn, sharp and sharp, and powerful, he created a new melody of calligraphy art, which is also the common melody of the subsequent calligraphy of Huang Daozhou, Wang Duo, Ni Yuanlu and others.
In 1991, Mr. Zhang Guangyuan, a famous Taiwanese antiquities scholar, published "A Study of Zhang Ruitu, a Prodigy of Calligraphy and Painting in the Late Ming Dynasty" (reprinted in "The Complete Works of Chinese Calligraphy 55-Zhang Ruitu"); in 1992, Mr. Liu Heng compiled "The Complete Works of Chinese Calligraphy 55-Zhang Ruitu" "Volume" was published, which examined and chronicled Zhang Ruitu's main calligraphy works and compiled a chronology. He also wrote the article "Zhang Ruitu, His Person and His Calligraphy", which is a systematic study of Zhang Ruitu's calligraphy artistic achievements in contemporary China. The beginning also provides us with a scientific theoretical basis and detailed reference standards for identifying Zhang Rui's calligraphy works.
According to scholars' research
The development of Zhang Ruitu's calligraphy style can be roughly divided into three stages.
The first stageIt was before the first year of Tianqi (1621). This period was the early stage of Zhang Ruitu's exploration of his personal calligraphy style. The "Du Fu Suxing Poems Volume", signed by him in the 24th year of Wanli (1596), is in the collection of the Liaoning Provincial Museum. It is the earliest piece of his recorded works that has been seen so far. During this period, Zhang Ruitu's small regular script was already quite stylized, and few cursive script works were published in the world.
second stageFrom the first year of Tianqi (1621) to the first year of Chongzhen (1628). This was the stage when Zhang Rui's personal calligraphy style matured and gradually strengthened, and he gained huge gains in creation. It was also the period when he was most successful and glorious in his official career. During the frequent writing activities, the art of calligraphy began to enter a mature stage, with the typical characteristics of sharp and fast writing and strange and sharp knots. In the following years, this style and technique became increasingly refined, continuously refined and strengthened, resulting in A number of representative works were produced. The evaluation and analysis of Zhang Rui's calligraphy by later generations are basically based on the works and their styles of this period.
The third phaseIt was after the second year of Chongzhen (1629). The shadow of the "unfair incident" in the second year of Chongzhen's reign cannot be erased. From then until his death, Zhang Ruitu lived in seclusion in East Lake outside Jinjiang City. In addition to poetry, calligraphy and painting, rituals, scriptures and worship of Buddhism also became an important part of his life. At this point, Buddhism has become a good medicine to soothe his soul. Therefore, in his later years, most of the locations of his works were inscribed with "Baihao Temple", "Baihao Jingshe" or "Beihu Pavilion of East Lake", and new names appeared, all related to Baihao Temple, such as "Baihao Temple layman", "Baihao Temple Taoist". " wait.
Zhang Ruitu "Ouyang Xiu Drunkard's Pavilion in Cursive Script" 441x28cm
Capital Museum collection
"Lotus Ode" in cursive script in this volume (handscroll restoration)
This volume of "Lotus Ode" in cursive script was written in May of the ninth year of Chongzhen (1636, Bingzi).The "Cursive Script Ouyang Xiu Drunken Old Pavilion" included in "The Complete Works of Chinese Calligraphy 55 - Zhang Rui's Picture Scroll" was written in the autumn of the same year and is now in the Capital Museum, which can be compared.At this time, 67-year-old Zhang Ruitu had returned to his hometown from Beijing for eight years, and the "counter-case" turmoil had long since subsided. From these two works, it can be seen that his calligraphy style has changed from a middle-aged, focused and imposing style to a Calm, relaxed and indifferent. This change probably has a lot to do with his life of retreating to the mountains and forests after returning to his hometown and concentrating on Buddhism.
Judging from the cursive writing techniques of "Ouyang Xiu Drunkard Pavilion in Cursive Script" and "Lotus Ode", the sharp and tight strokes of the pen in middle age have been replaced by calmness and plainness. The number of rounded strokes has increased significantly, and the changes in ink color have become more dramatic. Just let nature take its course. The peaceful and tranquil atmosphere exuded throughout the book is very consistent with the Buddhist ideal of having no desires or desires and being natural. When we restore the cursive " Lotus Ode" in this volume to its original hand-scroll form, through comparison, it is obvious that the cursive style, writing appearance, pattern and style, and brushwork habits of the two works of the same year and only a few months apart are all highly advanced. Consistent.
Left: Part of Zhang Ruitu's Cursive Script Ouyang Xiu Drunkard's Pavilion Notes
Left: Collection of Capital Museum
Right: Part of Zhang Ruitu's cursive script "Lotus Ode"
Left: Part of Zhang Ruitu's Cursive Script Ouyang Xiu Drunkard's Pavilion Notes
Left: Collection of Capital Museum
Right: Part of Zhang Ruitu's cursive script "Lotus Ode"
Like many calligraphers in the Ming Dynasty, cursive script is also the calligraphy style with the most outstanding achievements in Zhang Rui's calligraphy., the formation of his cursive style during the Apocalypse period largely benefited from his Wei and Jin style regular script. In his later years, Zhang Ruitu admired the "plain and mysterious" calligraphy style of the Jin people. His works in his later years, whether in regular script, running script or cursive script, all had a strong Zhong Yao flavor in the structure of his writing. The first few lines of this volume are quite restrained, and each word is independent. Later, it gradually loosens up, and the pen and ink fly when the mood arises. Although the momentum is dripping, its appearance is very different from that of the middle-aged work, from the stippling to the glyphs, everything is obvious. characteristics of old age.
Around the third year of Chongzhen (1630, 61 years old), the word "Rui" in the signature took on a new structure and became the norm in signatures. The obvious difference is thatFirst, the character "Rui" changes from the left-right structure to the upper-lower structure, and second, the second stroke of the character "ER" is omitted."The basic structure of the signature in the ninth year of Chongzhen (1636, 67 years old) is not much different from that in previous years, but the main parts have been slightly adjusted. First, the inclination of the word "Rui" is larger, and secondly, the last vertical line is elongated. The pen is recycled into dots. These two details can be exclusive, and signatures similar to them can be inferred to be from the same year. As for whether the word "图" is blue or three-dot, it is a secondary factor." ("Zhang Ruitu's signature" Characteristics and the time and place of the Zhaihao inscription", Kang Yaoren)
Left: Zhang Ruitu’s inscription of “Ouyang Xiu Drunkard’s Pavilion in Cursive Script”
Left: Collection of Capital Museum
Right: Zhang Ruitu's cursive script "Lotus Ode" book signed
Left: Seal taken from "Zhang Rui Picture Seal" "Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Seals"
Right: The seal of this piece of cursive script "Lotus Ode"
Left: Seals taken from the "He Fang Pavilion" "Chinese Calligraphers and Painters' Seals"
Right: The seal of this piece of cursive script "Lotus Ode"
