Home » Sunday » Now and Then
Xu Wei: tortured talent
Print Edition
DURING the Ming Dynasty (1364-1683), artists in China were divided into two distinct groups, one faithfully following the traditional ways of painting and the other boldly experimenting with new styles and techniques.
In the latter group, Xu Wei (1521-93), an exceptionally talented painter, calligrapher, writer and poet, was later widely considered as the founder of modern painting in the country. His xieyi, or expressive free-style painting, was not only fashionable in the decades after his death, but also influenced many Chinese artists in the following centuries, including great painters such as Bada Shanren (1626-1705), the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou during the middle Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) as well as modern masters such as Wu Changzhou (1844-1927) and Qi Baishi (1864-1957).
In addition, Xu was also deemed one of the greatest masters of pomo — or the so-called Splashing Ink genre — which features the technique of splashing or pouring ink and wash on rice paper and then finishing with a few brushworks.
Xu was born into a bureaucrat’s family in Shanyin, now Shaoxing, in east China’s Zhejiang Province. He was an extremely bright boy who learned to read at six and began to write prose when he was only nine.
There are many folktales in China about Xu as a prodigious boy and quick-witted young man and these stories are still quite popular today.
However, Xu wasn’t very successful in his life and career. He did not pass the county-level imperial examination or the civil service examination at that time until he was 20. In the following two decades, he tried eight times to pass the examination at the provincial level, but failed each time.
Eventually, he was employed by Hu Zongxian (1512-65), governor of Zhejiang, as his aide and joined the war against Japanese pirates, who frequently invaded China’s east and southeast coastal areas.
However, Governor Hu was later deposed and put behind bars after he was framed by his political enemies. Distraught that he could be entangled in the case, Xu tried to kill himself nine times.
He once used an ax to cut his skull, and later he punched iron nails into his ears.
He became so paranoid that he killed his second wife in a fierce rage, believing her to be involved in an extramarital affair.
Xu was jailed for seven years before he was freed with the help of an influential friend. He then spent the rest of his life painting and writing. He lived from hand to mouth by selling his artworks and articles. He died at the age of 73 in abject poverty.
His unhappy life experience, mental problems and repeated career failures greatly influenced his painting, which were his main outlet to express his resentment and despair.
Xu’s work entitled “Grapes” has not only been widely acclaimed as a great xieyi masterpiece, but also as one of his most representative creations.
The 116.4 x 64.3cm ink-on-paper hanging scroll seemingly shows little more than a mess of ink drops, random dots and tangled brush lines. Even the poem Xu put on the upper left corner was written with bold, disordered stokes.
On closer examination, the painting gives viewers a pleasant impression of a well-proportioned composition and a leisurely and carefree mood, thanks to the master’s skillful application of ink, wash and calligraphy-savvy brush lines.
In the poem he penned on the painting, Xu laments that half of his life’s endeavors failed to earn him any recognition and his works have been ignored just like unappealing wild grapes hanging in the shadows of tangled vines.
It’s true that Xu’s unparalleled talent and the great value of his artistic creations were not recognized until decades after he passed away. Today, his artworks are eagerly sought by Chinese art lovers.
Because of his brilliant talent, imbalanced mental-health and posthumous recognition, Xu has often been likened to Vincent van Gogh (1853-90), the famous Dutch painter.
In addition to painting, Xu was also a well-known playwright, poet and prose writer. But Xu himself was most proud of his calligraphy and he said once: “Calligraphy is my best, and it’s followed by my poems, prose and paintings.”
Xu’s masterpiece “Grapes” is now in the collection of the Beijing Palace Museum.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
