Four poems in clerical-seal script

Maker(s)
Artist: Yang Fa (1696-after 1762)
Historical period(s)
Qing dynasty, 1752
Medium
Ink on satin
Dimensions
H x W (image): 115.6 x 41.3 cm (45 1/2 x 16 1/4 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — funds provided by the B.Y. Lam Foundation Fund
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1993.2
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Calligraphy
Type

Hanging scroll

Keywords
China, Qing dynasty (1644 - 1911)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

Yang Fa was born near the city of Nanjing and emigrated as an adult to Yangzhou, where he resided in a Buddhist temple. He is best known for his unique style of calligraphy, which innovatively combines the curving elements of ancient seal script with the angular elements of early clerical script. Four of Yang's eight-line poems appear on this scroll, which he executed in Yangzhou in November 1752. The first poem reads:

Every day I face the river water,
And naturally grow distant from the world.
Why is it, after all, that I have come here?
To sit forever in a Buddhist monk's cell.
I think I'll build a hut of several beams,
Where I can translate texts from pattra leaves.
When subtleties cannot be apprehended right away,
A clear chime enters through the window's void.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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