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Immortal Classics: Heirlooms of and Requests for Yu Yu-jen's Calligraphy

Yu Yu-jen's achievements in calligraphy are universally recognized by many today. And with his extensive contacts over the years and requests for his calligraphy, the result is a large number of surviving works. The contents of Yu's works include ancient classics, sayings of Chinese and Western philosophers, and his own writings. Yu was cultivated and learned in classical literature, and his pieces are often full of revolutionary ideas connected to the changing times in which he lived. A member of the Southern Society, a literary group advocating revolution, he also closely associated with scholarly circles in Taiwan after arriving on the island.

Many public and private groups likewise invited Yu Yu-jen to write plaques, signs, and couplets for them, and many are still extant. In the face of requests from people of different backgrounds and relation to him, Yu often took into consideration the contents and even the type of paper and brush to use. This section of the exhibit takes five donors of Yu's works as an example, presenting them from the perspective of relationships and materials in Yu's writing, hopefully achieving a deeper understanding of his works in the process.

Yu Peng (b. 1916)

Yu Peng (style name Zhongcen), a native of Sanyuan in Shaanxi Province, is Yu Yu-jen's heir. Once serving in such important government positions as Senior Executive Officer in the Executive Yuan and an ambassador for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he now lives in the USA.
This section of the exhibition features eighteen works that Yu Peng donated to the National Palace Museum, many of them calligraphed by his father between 1930 and 1950. According to Yu Peng's recollections, these works were not done at the request of others but for his father's own enjoyment. He chose quality paper bleached white and even, the brush and ink also of superior grade, which are quite suited to expressing Yu's extraordinary achievement in the art of calligraphy.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Lines from Zhuge Liang's Biography in Semi-Regular Script

Yu Yu-jen did this work, which was donated by Mr. Yu Peng, around the age of fifty. The semi-regular script is interspersed with a few cursive characters but mostly has elements of the stele style. The characters throughout are broad and agreeable, the brushwork rich and full, the strokes also quite varied. Though stele-style calligraphy focuses on the study of inscriptions on bronzes and stone for a refreshing manner, an over-reliance on them can become a manacle to the student. Yu Yu-jen, on the other hand, was able to skillfully avoid the confines of Stele School brushwork and create naturally fluid and simple lines of calligraphy. Combined with characters that expand left and right for a more expansive feeling, his work appears even more elegantly archaic and majestic.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Seven-Character Couplet in Running Script

This couplet reads, "In my sleeve are exotic rocks yet unseen, on the seas are strange clouds tossing in my heart." Done by Yu Yu-jen around the age of fifty, the rounded lines are complemented by "flying white" strokes, giving the individual characters a clear indication of speed. Along with the connected strokes in running script, the work overall has a great sense of variety. It remedies the problem commonly seen in stele script of stiffness and a lack of vitality, injecting the scrolls with a new sense of spirit.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Poetry on Leaving Doukou Village Farm in Cursive Script

The famine in Shaanxi during 1929 resulted in the deaths of more than three million people. Afterwards, Yu Yu-jen used his family's property at Doukou Village in Jingyang, Shaanxi, as the start for the "Doukou Village Experimental Farm." Teaching farmers new techniques, he vowed to donate the farm for their benefit. The poetry here was written in 1941 upon his departure from the farm. At the end of that year, he left for Gansu and Qinghai on a field trip on how to establish the Great Northwest.
This scroll was written for Yu's son, Yu Peng, several months before arriving in Taiwan. At that time, the Nationalist hold on the mainland had been lost and Yu must have been racked with emotions, the brushwork and characters here clearly uninhibited and rousing. Although written in light ink, the lines are not monotonous, the areas where the ink collected revealing traces of the brush. The tones also show many variations, making this a masterpiece by Yu.

Lu Kun's <i>Words of Moaning</i> in Semi-Regular Script

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Lu Kun's Words of Moaning in Semi-Regular Script

Written at the age of 76, Yu Yu-jen here transcribed an excerpt from Lu Kun's (1536-1618) Words of Moaning, which he presented as a gift to his grandson, Chien-chung. In the late Ming dynasty, Lu Kun witnessed the ills of society and hoped that his Words of Moaning would offer a cure. The contents include many incisive ideas on self-cultivation and governing the state, and Yu Yu-jen thought that people in his time could also find inspiration.
Yu's work (donated to the National Palace Museum by Mr. Yu Peng) is done mainly in semi-regular script but occasionally with some cursive characters. Although the character styles differ, they do not stand out. Instead, they appear natural and harmonious, demonstrating the overall capability of the calligrapher when it comes to calligraphy forms. The phrases for "one's heart (qixin其心)" and "under the Heavens (tianxia zhi 天下之)" appear five times throughout the work, but Yu's method of writing so as to "enliven every stroke" is able to completely overcome the problem of monotony, creating a sense of differentiation within the repetition.

Ho Ying-chin (1889-1987)

Ho Ying-chin (style name Jingzhi), a native of Xingyi in Guizhou, took part in such important events of modern Chinese history as the Xinhai Revolution that toppled the Qing in 1911, the Northern Expedition that reunified China in 1928, and the War of Resistance against the Japanese during the Second World War. He served as Premier of the Executive Yuan and Commander-in-Chief of the Army, also representing the Republic of China as General of the Army for the surrender of Japan at the end of the War.
This section features works that Ho Ying-chin bequeathed to the National Palace Museum, including four from the 1930s, reflecting the long period in which he and Yu Yu-jen cooperated in government affairs. The calligraphy here features not only Yu's stele script in large characters but also his small character regular script in the Wei-stele manner, which is not often seen. A few works also demonstrate particular attention to the choice of paper, revealing the importance attached to their friendship.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Five-Character Couplet in Running Script

The contents of this couplet read, "An overnight rain from the Heavens and Earth, bringing spring to the trees and grasses everywhere," which come from Li Zhong's "Done on a Spring Day" of the Tang dynasty. Yu Yu-jen did this couplet around the age of fifty on yellow wax-coated paper, making the surface dense and glossy. As a result, the wax made it difficult for the ink to seep into the fibers of the paper, clearly preserving and distinguishing the traces of the brush force, which is unlike the decorative effect of "xuan" paper that allows the ink to spread.
Despite the difficulty in using this type of paper, Yu with his consummate control of the brush was able to maintain consistency to the roundness of the lines, the gradations of ink tones making the lines appear even moister and more volumetric. Combined with the expansive form, it creates for a visually strong appearance of heaviness and power. The couplet is a masterpiece of modern stele script calligraphy.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Running Script

In 1931, Yu Yu-jen wrote this piece for General Ho Ying-chin, transcribing four poems from Ni Zan's (1301-1374) "Twelve Poems on Painting" and three poems from "Inscribed on Bamboo Painting." The entire work was done in the regular stele script of the Wei dynasty. The characters are relatively small and the brushwork natural and unconfined. The structure is sumptuous and expansive, the size and heaviness of the characters varied and without the stiffness commonly seen in regular script. The strokes and lines throughout the work represent an unconscious pursuit of the knifework seen in Northern Wei steles that approaches the heavy archaism of cliff carvings. It can be said to represent an advance in the development of stele script calligraphy.

Huang Yu-chai (1903-1975)

A native of the Mengjia (Wanhua) district in Taipei City, Huang Yu-chai also once taught at the Shanghai College of Law. Later, he served on the Publications Committee of the Taiwan Shinsei Publisher, as Associate Professor of Economics at Taiwan University, and on the Taiwan Provincial Documentary Commission.
Two works in this section are transcriptions of contents for the self-expression of Yu Yu-jen. Though dealing with different events, both are closely related to the situation at the time, the matters revealing an attitude of determination. In pursuing higher education, Huang Yu-chai was influenced by issues dealing with revolution, studying the history of the Southern Ming and researching resistance in Taiwan against the Japanese. Yu Yu-jen's choice of words in his calligraphy thus represents a form of mutual encouragement between the two.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Seven-Character Couplet in Cursive Script

The contents of this scroll, bequeathed by Mr. Huang Yu-chai, come from "Poetry on Crossing the Taiwan Strait" that Yu Yu-jen had composed since 1923, this particular work being done in 1951 at the age of 73 by Chinese reckoning. The lines read, "The Earth has moved with the times over the past century, the ship like a leaf struggling against the Heavens." The poetry ends with, "Comrades of old are now at peace, my white whiskers four or five more."
Huang Yu-chai was the author of History of Taiwan's War of Resistance Against the Japanese, and Yu Yu-jen's choice of words here focuses on this subject. Although the characters in the couplet are mostly in cursive script, some semi-regular forms are also found. The strokes are solid and rounded, the forms expansive with fluid and light cursive lines that mediate the steadiness.

Wang Hsin-heng (1908-1987)

Wang Hsin-heng (style name Zichang), a native of Cixi in Zhejiang, served as a legislator and, after coming to Taiwan, delved into business, becoming Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Cement Corporation and Executive Director of Far Eastern Textiles. Wang was also interested in the arts, alternating on a monthly basis with such prominent figures as Chang Dai-chien, Chang Hsueh-liang, and Chang Chun as host of elegant gatherings in what became known as the "Alternating Society." Society members were all familiar with Yu Yu-jen, often interacting with each other in art or political circles.
Yu Yu-jen did the three works in this section at the ages of forty, seventy, and eighty. The paper is fine and glossy, clearly retaining traces of the brush and fully expressing the skill of the calligrapher. Occasionally more traces of "flying white" are seen with variations in condensed and rounded brushwork, creating for an interesting effect.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Running Script

The contents of this scroll come from the poetry of Lu Jun compiled by Ye Changchi (1849-1917) in Poetry Chronicling the Collecting of Books. Lu Jun (fl. 19^th c.), style name Huzun, was a book collector who proofread the editions in his possession, carefully examining all his books. The characters and brushwork in his calligraphy tend to be angular, the force powerful for a simple and bold quality that preserves more of the Wei stele manner. Yu Yu-jen probably did this work around the age of 55.

Chen Kuei-ching (1901-1995)

Chen Kuei-ching, a native of Zhangjiagang in Jiangsu, once served as a legislator. Enjoying painting and calligraphy, he was also gifted at these arts as well, being the author of Selections of Poetry, Painting, and Calligraphy by Chen Kuei-ching.
Yu Yu-jen did the two works in this section around the age of fifty. The contents are selected phrases from a critique on literature and a discourse on calligraphy from the Southern Dynasties period. Both Jiang Yan's words on "Effort comes from shunning leisure" and Yang Xin's record of Zhang Zhi's "Studying calligraphy by a pond, turning the water black with ink" serve as reminders to those with ambition in the arts to work hard, continue persevering, and keep practicing.

Yu Yu-jen (1879-1964), Republican period

Running Script

The contents are a transcription from On the Names of Calligraphers from Antiquity by Yang Xin (370-442) in the Song period of the Southern Dynasties period. It describes how the Eastern Han calligrapher Zhang Zhi diligently practiced. Zhang is venerated as the "Sage of Cursive," excelling in draft cursive and also creating what is known as modern cursive. In the Tang dynasty, Zhang Huaiguan in Theory of Calligraphy tells of the force Zhang Zhi used in calligraphy, his hand and heart working seamlessly to achieve a realm of the utmost.
This undated work was probably done by Yu Yu-jen around the age of fifty. The lines are solid and the brush flows with force using different forms and speeds. The characters are open and slightly flattened as well. It is an example of Yu's stele-style running script.