A special calligraphy and painting exhibition featuring works by Zhu Yunming and Zhao Chang’s New Year Painting is now open at the Palace Museum

By MOOK Scenic Spots Travel Life Network, reported and compiled by Chen Guanxin

 

The Palace Museum is hosting two calligraphy and painting exhibitions in its main hall from now until March 25: “Infinite Expressions in Brushstrokes – A Special Exhibition of Zhu Yunming’s Calligraphy” and “The Beauty of Court-Decorative Paintings – Zhao Chang’s New Year Painting from the Song Dynasty.” The former showcases selected calligraphic works in regular, running, and cursive scripts from different periods of the Ming Dynasty literati Zhu Yunming, highlighting his diverse styles and innovative approach to calligraphy. The latter reveals the highly decorative style of “court-decorative paintings,” presenting a sense of opulence and grandeur through the detailed brushwork and vibrant colors of the New Year Painting.

Zhu Yunming achieved great mastery in calligraphy across various styles and was grouped with Wen Zhengming and Wang Chong as one of the “Three Masters of Wu Region,” as well as alongside Wen Zhengming, Tang Yin, and Xu Zhenqing, known collectively as the “Four Talents of Wu,” or more widely recognized as the “Four Great Talents of Jiangnan.” Zhu Yunming primarily studied the styles of the Jin and Tang dynasties. His extant works reveal a coexistence of multiple styles, with clear influences from Zhong Yao, Wang Xizhi, Yu Shinan, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, Zhang Xu, Yan Zhenqing, Huai Su, Liu Gongquan, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Zhao Mengfu, reflecting his broad range of sources. Beyond emulating these various styles, Zhu Yunming ultimately developed a distinctive approach by synthesizing them, most notably seen in his small regular script and cursive script, while also pioneering a new trend in the Suzhou calligraphy scene.

Judging from its brushwork style, the New Year Painting is closer to the style of Ming Dynasty court painters. Although not the original work of the Song Dynasty painter Zhao Chang, it is highly decorative. The composition compresses depth and layers elements upward, filling the entire picture with overlapping rocks and dense, interwoven flowers and trees, transforming natural scenery into a patterned aesthetic that aligns with the descriptions of “court-decorative paintings” in Guo Ruoxu’s Northern Song work “Records of Famous Paintings Through History.” It stands as a representative piece of the “court-decorative painting” style.

Works in the “court-decorative painting” style, created for the adornment of splendid palaces, not only feature patterned compositions but also require meticulous brushwork and rich colors. The New Year Painting is executed using the double-outline and color-filling technique—first outlining the forms and then filling them with color. Though the brushwork is refined, it also carries an element of freehand expression, with natural and fluid strokes. Enhanced by bright hues such as rouge red, vermilion, white powder, mineral green, and mineral blue, the luxurious and resplendent visual effect becomes even more striking.

 

 

● Read more: The 30th Anniversary of the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, with Celebrations Continuing All Year Round

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