Two Verses by Tang Poets in Seal Script

Two Verses by Tang Poets in Seal Script Hu Zhengyan (1584-1674), Ming dynasty Hu Zhengyan, a native of Xin’an (modern Xiuning, Anhui) who lived in Jinling (modern Nanjing, Jiangsu), was gifted at painting, calligraphy, making ink sticks, and color woodblock printing; he was the inventor of the “assorted block” (“douban”) print technique. This work is a transcription of two Tang dynasty verses in seal script: “Presented to Civil Service Candidate Liu Jing” by Liu Yuxi (772-842) and “Gazing at the Moon on the Evening of the Fifteenth” by Wang Jian (767-830). Hu Zhengyan’s application of the brush here is round and forceful, the lines varying considerably between thick and thin. Areas of “flying white” also appear at the end of some strokes to give the effect of more speed and liveliness.