Calligraphy
Fu Shan
Description
Subject Matter:
In China, when a dynasty changed, literati were expected to uphold their integrity by not serving the new imperial house, sometimes even sacrificing themselves to demonstrate loyalty to the previous emperor. Fu Shan was a literati who exemplified such integrity, taking an oath not to serve the Qing emperor. His steadfast commitment had a significant and tangible impact on the literati circle, winning him respect and status in the literati circle. Therefore, his calligraphy was popular at the time.
It was Fu Shan who proposed the conception of “preferring the unrefined or clumsy over the aesthetically pleasing.” By embracing this notion, Fu Shan signifies his refusal to cater to authority or follow social trends.
The text "De Chong Fu" by Zhuangzi delves into how the inner world reflects the idea that all substances in the cosmos are interconnected. Zhuangzi posits that all cosmic substances emanate from Tao and share an essential unity, even if their appearances differ. Building on this concept, the human perspective should transcend outward forms and emotions. "Forgetting the form" entails treating life and death as equals, while "forgetting the emotions" implies the absence of distinctions such as honor and humiliation, noble and lowly, right and wrong.
To illustrate this idea, Zhuangzi crafts several ugly characters. These figures, despite their outward incompleteness, are portrayed as possessing inner completeness. Fu Shan transcribes the fifth part, depicting a figure with a limp, without lips, and humpbacked, as well as a figure with a goitre. Through his transcription, Fu Shan conveys his historical perspective and outlook on life.
Physical Description:
Handscroll with multiple calligraphies on light brown backgrounds, one featuring gold flecks. The mounting is cream, peach, and light-blue. The exterior is green with cream, orange, and blue accents and a medallion design with an orange ribbon.
This is a hand scroll, reading from right to left. Fu Shan transcribed one section of De Chong Fu, one of Zhuangzi’s prose in cursive script on silk.
This master piece of Fu Shan shows his highly skilled fluency in writing cursive script, with variation of thick and thin, wet and dry ink controlling, fast but powerful strokes, and rapid movement of the writing process.
The text may be tentatively rendered into English as follows:
A person who had no lips, whose legs were bent so that he could only walk on his toes, and who was (otherwise) deformed, addressed his counsels to duke Ling of Wei, who was so pleased with him, that he looked on a perfectly formed man, as having a lean and small neck in comparison with him.
Another who had a large goitre like an earthenware jar addressed his counsels to duke Huan of Qi, who was so pleased with him, that he looked on a perfectly formed man, as having a neck lean and small in comparison with him.
So it is that when one's virtue is extraordinary, (any deficiency in) his bodily form may be forgotten. When men do not forget what is (easily) forgotten, and forget what is not (easily) forgotten, we have a case of real oblivion.
Therefore the sagely man has that in which his mind finds its enjoyment, and (looks on) wisdom as (but) the shoots from an old stump; agreements with others are to him but so much glue; kindnesses are (but the arts of) intercourse; and great skill is (but as) merchants' wares.
The sagely man lays no plans; of what use would wisdom be to him?
He has no cutting and hacking to do; of what use would glue be to him?
He has lost nothing; of what use would arts of intercourse be to him?
He has no goods to dispose of; what need has he to play the merchant?
(The want of) these four things are the nourishment of (his) Heavenly (nature); that nourishment is its Heavenly food.
Since he receives this food from Heaven, what need has he for anything of man's (devising)? He has the bodily form of man, but not the passions and desires of (other) men. He has the form of man, and therefore he is a man. Being without the passions and desires of men, their approvings and disapprovings are not to be found in him.
How insignificant and small is (the body) by which he belongs to humanity!
How grand and great is he in the unique perfection of his Heavenly (nature)!
Reference https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=gb&id=2751&remap=gb
At the end of the work, Fu Shan wrote: Calligraphy today is really difficult, I cannot attain one stroke that as the ancient masters, let alone most pieces are for social intercourse, how can it could be as the ancient’s? Attempting to identify my brushwork in ancient model calligraphy books, is it possible to find a similar style? My work only tainted the silk.
Being self-effacing is a characteristic of Chinese literati, although Fu Shan is so mastered at cursive script.
There are three pieces of inscriptions after the work, from Feng Zhiyi, E Long Sheng, and Zhou Zhaoxiang.
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