The Two Purities
With slashing stokes of jet-black ink, Wu Changshuo depicted the “two purities”—pine and plum blossom—as expressive, nearly abstract marks set against the faint gray wash of a garden rock. The ability to withstand the cold of winter imbued both pine and plum with a sense of virtue and steadfastness that was frequently celebrated in premodern Chinese poetry and visual art.
Artwork Details
- 清/現代 吳昌碩 雙清圖 軸
- Title: The Two Purities
- Artist: Wu Changshuo (Chinese, 1844–1927)
- Period: Republic period (1912–49)
- Date: 1922
- Culture: China
- Medium: Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper
- Dimensions: Image: 52 3/4 × 16 5/16 in. (134 × 41.5 cm)
Overall with mounting: 81 7/8 × 22 1/4 in. (208 × 56.5 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Gift of Jane DeBevoise and the Calello Family, 2024
- Object Number: 2024.549.41
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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Wu Changshuo
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Wu Changshuo
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Wu Changshuo
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