Calligraphie (éventail)

Wen, Zhengming 文徵明, né en 1470 à Jiangsu (province), décédé en 1559

Entre 1368 et 1644
Papier, Encre
Calligraphie
徵明; 文徵明印; 徵仲
Don manuel : Société des Amis du musée Cernuschi

M.C. 2006-75

Inscription:
In a vivid emulation of red and purple, spring suddenly appears.
I remember the indecision of its beginnings.
Is it the end of the rains that spurs such opulence?
The wind has not yet dropped, fragrances abound.
A wakening beauty tries in vain to rise above the screen,
While a butterfly dances over the wall,
My soul filled with a pure love soars ten thousand li up in the sky
At the water’s edge, when night falls, I will have to check my heart’s desire.
Zhengming.

Wen Zhengming is a major figure of calligraphy and painting in the Ming period. A native of Suzhou, where he lived almost all his life, Wen Zhengming would contribute to the renown of the Wu school, along with Shen Zhou (1427-1509), Zhu Yunming and Tang Yin. Despite failing the examinations, his many gifts won him the recognition of the cultural elite of his time. In the course of his long life, Wen Zhengming was only required to occupy official functions once, on a posting that took him to Beijing where he worked as a compiler at the Hanlin Academy from 1523 to 1526. Numerous masterpieces dating from his old age reflect the intense work of his latter years. Through the intermediary of family members, such Wen Jia (1501-1583) and Wen Boren, (1502-1575), and of painters from his circle of followers, his influence spread considerably, forging a certain ideal of scholarly painting.
The fan features a composition of eight heptametric verses, illustrating the talent of the poet as well as the elegance of the calligrapher. The text was published in a collection of Wen Zhengming’s poetry, Futian ji, with a series of pieces dedicated to his master Shen Zhou. The influence of Shen Zhou on Wen Zhengming would manifest itself primarily in painting. Where calligraphy was concerned, he trained with Li Yingzhen (1431-1493). He would have been familiar with the calligraphy of his contemporary Zhu Yunming. Like the latter, Wen Zhengming did not limit himself to a single preferred style. On the contrary, he exercised his mastery in the principal script types, as illustrated in his Thousand Character Essay, in the four styles, today in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. He was particularly renowned for his “regular script” calligraphy, cursive and semi-cursive, in large and small characters. The poem about spring attests to the contained virtuosity that characterises the semi-cursive writing of Wen Zhengming in his mature years.
 

Reference(s) : Lefebvre, Eric, "Activités du Musée Cernuschi", Arts Asiatiques, 2007, p.132-136
Reubi, François, Le Pinceau des Lettrés, peintures chinoises de la collection du professeur François Reubi, Genève, Collection des arts d'Extrême-Orient, Collections Baur n°56, automne-hiver 1993, p.7-5