Northern Song Dynasty / Dated 1093
Abe Collection
34.0×111.1
handscloll, ink on paper
| This is a scroll written in 1093 by Su Shi, when he was 58. Su Shi heard this poem attributed to Li Bai, from a Taoist priest acquaintance named Dan Yuanzi when they met in present-day Kaifeng in Henan province. Su shi is known as one of the most prominent scholars in China, and is one of the four great Northern Song calligraphers along with Mi Fu (1051-1107), Huang Tingjian (1045-1105), and Cai Xiang (1012-1067). He is known as "Su Dongpo" taken from his official title "Dongpojushi. "Su Shi had formerly studied calligraphy mainly from Wang Xizhi and Yan Zhenqing. This calligraphy, which displays his distinctive style separate from his masters, indicates Su Shi's complicated feeling and deep spirituality concerning calligraphy. |