Red plum blossoms and rock

In Shanghai there were some painters who were good calligraphers at the same time. They also had keen interest in the inscriptions on ancient bronzes and stone stelae, as well as ancient Chinese scripts such as seal script. Consequently, the brushwork used in calligraphy was also applied to their paintings, giving rise to the establishment of what is called “The Stele School”, with antiquarian epigrapher’s taste. This is an outstanding aspect of epigraphy school. Wu Changshuo, who was one of the representative figures of this School, once said, “What I am merely doing is to transform calligraphic brushwork into painting techniques. Regarding artistry, I dare not explore anything other than that.” His style of painting is one that exactly demonstrates his incorporation of calligraphic brushwork and does not seek the physical resemblance of subject matter. Depicted in this work is Wu Changshuo's favourite subject, the plum blossoms. The stem and branches in the painting were executed with brushwork borrowed from the inscriptions on drum-stone blocks in combination with cursive scripts. The interweaving and scattered brushstrokes, which were boldly applied, surpass the limitation of mere depiction of shape and form. A critic once succinctly pointed out that the brushstrokes of this painting were executed as if the artist were using an awl to draw on sand, displaying the momentum of a thirsty horse running towards a spring. Traditional Chinese pigments were not used in the depiction of these plum blossoms. Instead, the artist used imported red pigments to produce a vivid and bright colour, which appealed to the taste of the majority of the Shanghai residents who had a preference for such vibrant effects.