Poems from the Pavilion of True Meaning

This album preserves a group of poems written by the great art patron and critic Zhou Lianggong (1612–1672). Zhou was one of the key figures in the art scene of the mid-seventeenth century; he fostered contemporary painters and also wrote about their accomplishments. His critical writings on painting were published in 1673 under the title Duhua lu (A record of [The Pavilion] for viewing paintings), and they have been considered the essential source on seventeenth century painting ever since. This album preserves versions of some of the material that appears in Duhua lu, which makes it a source of signal importance for the study of Zhou Lianggong, the art scene he fostered, and his career as a critic.

Zhou was well regarded as a calligrapher. His signature style, evident throughout this album, features a juxtaposition of thin ligatures with blocky, angular lines to create a charmingly eccentric and somewhat raw effect. In this, Zhou was particularly influenced by the calligraphy of the Song dynasty (960–1279) Emperor Lizong (1205–64, r. 1224–64), who pioneered this style in the thirteenth century.