Modern Ink

Wrenched by warfare and famine from the quiet life of a small-town scholar to the fast-growing treaty port of Shanghai, Wu Changshi (1844–1927) rose to the forefront of the jinshi, or “epigraphic,” movement in calligraphy and painting. His inventive method of adapting the rugged strength of ancient engraved texts to his own brushwork reinvigorated Chinese art through a reconnection with its earliest roots. In bold xieyi or free-style flower-and-bird scenes and landscapes, he fully integrated the four disciplines of painting, calligraphy, poetry, and seal carving. This volume presents outstanding examples of this master’s calligraphy and paintings, illustrated in full color, along with scholarly discussions of his important contribution to the development of ink painting in the modern world.