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Cursive Script The
poet and calligrapher Huang Tingjian (1045–1105) used a wild, flying cursive
style in this handscroll. The text is from a historian's description of a political
rivalry between two chief ministers during the Warring States period (480–221
B.C.).
With his entire wrist and arm suspended
above the paper's surface, Huang's characters of different shapes and sizes are
linked together to form an uninterrupted flow of brushstrokes.
The dynamic, unbalanced nature of the characters suggests the bitter political
struggles often repeated in Chinese history. Thanks to his association with a
high government official, Huang himself fell victim to such political infighting.
This handscroll, written while Huang was in exile, is not just historical reporting
but much more of a personal statement.
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