Detail View: National Palace English: Autobiography

Work ID: 
M01G00029
Title: 
Autobiography
Creation Date: 
Tang Dynasty
Start Year Date: 
A.D.618
End Year Date: 
A.D.907
Dynasty: 
36 Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618~907)
Creator: 
Huai Su
Creation Place: 
China
Measurements: 
28.3 x 755 cm
Material: 
Cursive script, ink on paper
Form: 
Shou-juan (hand scroll)
Type: 
Calligraphy
Repository: 
The National Palace Museum, Taipei
Description: 
Having become a Buddhist monk as a young man, Huaisu cultivated friendships among the Tang political elite base on his wonderful facility at crazy drafting script. Writing such visually dramatic calligraphy made for a marvelous display. Dazzled by his skill, calligraphers such as Yan Zhengqing and many other literary figures presented poems in praise of Huaisu's talents. Huaisu copied extracts from these poems, together with a preface by Yan Zhenqing, in crazy drafting script to compile his "Autobiography." Huaisu writes with a fine hard-tuffed brush which sweeps in an almost uninterrupted line. At the head of each column the tuft is steeped in ink, only to run dray toward the foot. This produces fascinating contrasts in ink texture. There is also huge variety in the size of individual characters. Such bold eccentricity must have come as a breath of fresh air after the classic solemnity of the early Tang period.
ImageV ID: 
M01G00029AS007
Rights: 
Lee & Lee Communications