Joyous Rain
Like other Ming literati from Suzhou, Wu Kuan's calligraphy was influenced by Northern Song (960–1127) models. With its fleshy, modulated brushstrokes and squat characters, Wu's writing style follows that of the poet-calligrapher Su Shi (1036–1101). Wu accompanied this poem with a brief account of the circumstances under which it was created: "On the evening of the twenty-eighth of the fifth month [June 17], it began to rain after a long drought. I was collating Bo Juyi's [772–846] works and had just come to the poem 'Joyous Rain.' Following its rhyme, I composed a poem to express my own joy."
Artwork Details
- 明 吳寬 行書喜雨詩 摺扇
- Title: Joyous Rain
- Artist: Wu Kuan (Chinese, 1435–1504)
- Period: Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
- Date: ca. 1498
- Culture: China
- Medium: Folding fan mounted as an album leaf; ink on gold-flecked paper
- Dimensions: 6 3/4 x 19 in. (17.1 x 49.5 cm)
- Classification: Calligraphy
- Credit Line: Bequest of John M. Crawford Jr., 1988
- Object Number: 1989.363.48
- Curatorial Department: Asian Art
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