Traditions of Connoisseurship (Jian) and Eccentricity (Xie) in Fu Shan’s Calligraphy (1607–1684)

Abstract

The works of the well-known erudite and master of eccentric cursive writing Fu Shan (1607–1684) have been thoroughly studied in China, but there is little research on them in art history in the Western countries, and they are barely known among Russian orientalists. Fu Shan used the legacy of ancient epigraphy to reform both cursive (caoshu) and non-cursive scripts (zhuanshu, lishu, kaishu). Fu Shan relied on the assumption that all scripts have unified plastic principles. His expressive cursive writing has basic elements of non-cursive scripts, while his non-cursive writing has the dynamic potential of a cursive script. Fu Shan’s exceptional connoisseurship made him a forerunner of the archaizing trend in the “Stele School” (beixuepai). He was also famous for his eccentric experiments with character forms and the composition of character columns that became an important element of Chinese calligraphy in the tenth and eleventh centuries. This article recounts the milestones of Fu Shan’s life, shows trends of continuity in his works, and their evolution. The quotations of Fu Shan and the most prominent examples of his work are used to study his artistic principles. This article explains Fu Shan’s “four norms, four taboos” (si nin si wu) that are connected with the specific aesthetics of mastery concealment and the principle of plastic dissonance (zhili). For Fu Shan, the lack of self-confident virtuosity (qiao) and the quality of being crude and ugly (zhuo) meant that a work of art reflected the natural order of Dao. The diversity of his artistic studies and the syncretic character of his worldview made it possible for Fu Shan to retain his artistic freedom while adhering to tradition. Due to the combinationof connoisseurship and eccentric innovation, Fu Shan’s art has preserved its integrity and the enduring value of his legacy.