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An image of Poem in cursive style by YU Shaozhi An image of Poem in cursive style by YU Shaozhi An image of Poem in cursive style by YU Shaozhi An image of Poem in cursive style by YU Shaozhi An image of Poem in cursive style by YU Shaozhi An image of Poem in cursive style by YU Shaozhi An image of Poem in cursive style by YU Shaozhi

YU Shaozhi

(China early 17th century– )

Title
Poem in cursive style
Other titles:
Constantly changing clouds
Place of origin
China
Period
Ming dynasty 1368 - 1644 → China
Media category
Calligraphy
Materials used
handscroll: ink on paper
Dimensions

31.0 x 318.0cm

Signature & date
Signed.,c.l., in Chinese, inscribed in black ink "Yu Shaozi". Signed.,c.l., in Chinese, stamped in red ink, "Zi Shou [artist's seal]".
Credit
Edward and Goldie Sternberg Chinese Art Purchase Fund 1991
Accession number
367.1991
Location
Not on display
Further information

Of all the arts of China calligraphy is the most esteemed. It embodies the highest visual, philosophic and aesthetic ideals of the scholar for whom proficiency in the Four Accomplishments - painting, calligraphy, poetry and chess - was a fundamental objective, indeed a necessity. Of equal significance are the Three Perfections: painting, poetry and calligraphy, with calligraphy again deemed to be the highest achievement because it combined the beauty and morality of ideas and poetry with the visual eloquence of writing. In consequence, as much emphasis was placed on the expressiveness and aesthetic fluency of calligraphy as on its meaning. Of the many groups and styles of calligraphy, the cursive or 'caoshu' - literally 'grass script' - style is among the most expressive. It is distinguished by its spontaneity, speed and dynamic energy, but always without compromising the legibility of the characters.The scroll comprises three poems composed by the artist, under the overall title 'Constantly changing clouds', which is written in four large characters at the beginning. While little is known of Yu Shaozhi, except that he came from Wuyuan in Anhui province, the status of this work is confirmed in a poetic inscription dated 1916 by the great late Qing dynasty master Wu Changshuo (1844-1927) which praises the quality of this calligraphy.
Art Gallery Handbook, 1999. pg. 255.

Bibliography (6)

Jackie Menzies (Australia) (Author), Art of the Brush - Chinese & Japanese painting calligraphy, Sydney, 1995, 5, (illus. cover).

Ewen McDonald (Australia) (Editor), The Art Gallery of New South Wales collections, Sydney, 1994, 202 (colour illus.).

Bruce James (Australia) (Author), Edmund Capon (England; Australia, b.1940) (Director), Art Gallery of New South Wales handbook, Domain, 1999, 255 (colour illus.). The image is in detail.

Art-i-facts: Book Two, an exploration of ideas in drawing 1998, 1998, 10 (colour illus.). titled 'Constantly changing clouds'

'Asian Collections in the Art Gallery of New South Wales' by Edmund Capon, pg. 76-79., Orientations Sep 2000, Sep 2000, 77 (colour illus.). fig.2. The image is in detail.

'Landscape Painting', The Asian Collections Art Gallery of New South Wales 2003, 2003, 156 (colour illus.). The colour illus. on page 156 is a detail of this work.

Exhibition history (2)

Great gifts, great patrons, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 17 Aug 1994–19 Oct 1994.

Art of the brush, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 23 Sep 1995–12 Nov 1995.