Couplet
The talented young Wen Fong wrote this couplet when he was just twelve years old. The squiggly, uniform lines appear in seal script, one of the oldest forms of Chinese calligraphy. Fong’s teacher, Li Jian, saw the study of ancient models as the foundation of proper training. The couplet reads:
Solitary pleasure is no match for shared pleasure;
In placing demands on myself, I needn’t place demands on others.
—Translation by Joseph Scheier-Dolberg
Solitary pleasure is no match for shared pleasure;
In placing demands on myself, I needn’t place demands on others.
—Translation by Joseph Scheier-Dolberg
Artwork Details
- 現代 方聞 對聯
- Title: Couplet
- Calligrapher: Wen C. Fong (1930–2018)
- Period: Republic period (1912–49)
- Date: 1942
- Culture: China
- Medium: Pair of hanging scrolls; ink on paper
- Dimensions: Image (a): 29 1/4 × 6 13/16 in. (74.3 × 17.3 cm)
Overall with mounting: 45 × 7 5/8 in. (114.3 × 19.4 cm)
Image (b): 29 1/4 × 6 13/16 in. (74.3 × 17.3 cm)
Overall with mounting: 44 15/16 × 7 5/8 in. (114.1 × 19.4 cm) - Classification: Paintings
- Credit Line: Lent by Constance and Wen Fong Collection
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
More Artwork
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Wen C. Fong (1930–2018)
1945
Wen C. Fong (1930–2018)
1930s–40s
Yi Yong-u (artist name: Mungno) (Korean, 1902–1952)
probably 1940s
Chae Yongsin (artist name: Seokji) (Korean, 1850–1941)
dated by inscription to 1924
Li Jian (1881/1882–1956)
Undated, 1940s
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