Artwork Page for Retreat on an Autumn Day, in Cursive Script

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Retreat on an Autumn Day, in Cursive Script

閑居秋日, 草書

dated 1523
(Chinese, 1460–1527)
Measurements
height: 34.3 cm (13 1/2 in.); Calligraphy section: 514.2 cm (202 7/16 in.); Roll: 34.6 x 8.3 cm (13 5/8 x 3 1/4 in.)
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Zhu Yunming stated that he was in an inebriated state when he created this work.

Description

This masterwork of calligraphy by Zhu Yunming from Suzhou combines two poems by the artist in cursive script style, characterized by its uninhibited, swift, and intuitive brushwork, so powerful that it here dissolved characters into dots or lines. Written from right to left and top to bottom and alternating in light dry to deep saturated ink, single characters may take a whole column or extend into the next one. Following the movement of the brush, they seem to dance over the paper.
A horizontally oriented tan paper is inked with dense columns of black cursive characters that streak and loop across the surface. Rhythmic brushstrokes vary from bold, heavy marks to thin, threadlike lines that connect continuously from right to left. In the far-left corner sit small red square seals. The composition consists entirely of expressive calligraphic text without representational images, showcasing varying ink densities across the long, horizontal background.

Retreat on an Autumn Day, in Cursive Script

dated 1523

Zhu Yunming

(Chinese, 1460–1527)
China, Ming dynasty (1368–1644)

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