Introduction
The core of “Painting Hearts, Writing Minds—Warmth and Sentiment in Calligraphy and Painting” lies in the delivery of heartfelt sentiments. The items on exhibit are all calligraphic and painted works that use words and images to express the contents of their creators or commissioners’ hearts. The pieces on show range from items of everyday correspondence to fully-realized works of poetry, lyricism, calligraphy, and painting created in response to others’ requests, as well as pictures that were painted in order to be given as gifts. Not only does each of these works reflect the importance afforded to their intended recipients, they also reveal their creators and commissioners’ wishes to maintain and deepen interpersonal bonds.
This exhibition is divided into five distinct sections. The first section, “Investing Objects with Meaning,” is primarily devoted to paintings centered on the theme of gift-giving, as well as letters written in relation to gift giving—the works on display reveal how physical objects that were a part of everyday social life could convey solicitude and friendship. The second section, “Carriers of Elegant Expression,” shows the literati’s fondness for painting landscapes, bamboo, elegant stones, and portrayals of ancient sages. This section explores how such imagery was used to express the yearnings, admiration, and aspirations shared between friends. The third section, “Portraying Scenery, Preserving Memories,” features paintings based on the scenery of actual locations, ranging from gardens in private estates to glorious vistas on famous mountains. Such places of residence and destinations for travel were intimately entwined with the lives of the people for whom the works were painted. The fourth section, “Farewells Before Long Journeys,” exhibits paintings and poems that express wishes for the journeys embarked upon by friends and colleagues to be safe and fortuitous, and which used the timelessness of art and literature to ensure that their feelings would be everlasting. The fifth and final section, “Lofty Wishes,” displays paintings centered upon birthday celebrations and hopes for recipients to enjoy long, healthy lives. Having passed through a long period of artistic evolution, works such as these gave birth to a multitude of visual symbols that continue to be widely used even today. They reflect aspirations shared by all members of society.
Each of the items in this exhibition reveals the talents and intentions of the calligraphers and painters who created them, while at the same time serving as microcosmic representations of the social etiquette and interpersonal relationships that were a part of the creators’ lives. These works all serve as potent examples of human affections rendered in tangible form.