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Poems
Calligrapher Chen Hongshou Chinese
Not on view
明 陳洪綬 行書詩翰 冊 紙本
Revered primarily as a painter of eccentric, stylized human figures, Chen Hongshou also created a rich oeuvre of calligraphy. In this album, he transcribed a set of his own poems for a close friend named Shen Yaozhang (d. 1666). The calligraphy is exemplary of the crisp elegance of his late style. Chen seems to have used a long, slender brush with a finely tapering tip to create the sharply pointed hooks and diagonal strokes. The characters are lively with a natural ease; they are expressive but never wild.
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