The Two Purities

1922

Not on view

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

Object Information

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Provenance

Exhibition History

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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Calligraphy in the Style of Stone Drums, Wu Changshuo Chinese, Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper, China — Calligraphy in the Style of Stone Drums
Wu Changshuo
20th century

Frame Drum, Wood, hide, Chinese (Uighyur) — Frame Drum
Chinese (Uighyur)
late 20th Century

Woods and Valleys of Mount Yu, Ni Zan Chinese, Hanging scroll; ink on paper, China — Woods and Valleys of Mount Yu
Ni Zan
dated 1372

Spring Offerings, Wu Changshuo Chinese, Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper, China — Spring Offerings
Wu Changshuo
dated 1919

Archer's Ring with Taoist Symbols (清扳指), Wood, Chinese — Archer's Ring with Taoist Symbols (清扳指)
Chinese
19th century

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