Two Old Gentlemen of Culture

Browsing through
the Sotheby's site yesterday
I came across the
calligraphy of Chen Jiru (1558-1639)
which totally blew me away.

Especially when I zoomed in on the detail
(which, shamefully, is not possible with
the art museum sites that show his work)

What a delicious contrast
those two characters above
make with each other








and the same here,
the heavy/closed with the wispy/open





I love his assertive qualities





as well as his
oh-so-delicate
quality



like contrasting
kinds of food
on a plate
at El Bulli restaurant
(no -- I'm never going to eat there,
why bother -- when so many fine dishes
are served on the internet)







don't you love how those dots
are floating so carefully in space ?
with just the right tension
in the long, vertical stroke ?






But as it turned out,
Chen had a good friend,
Dong Qichang (1555-1636)
who shared his interest in
literature, painting,and calligraphy





and who lettered these 60" vertical scrolls
in one day.



all twelve of them in one sitting,

in 1634

at the age of 79,

for the enjoyment of his best friend, Chen,
(who was then 76)


Wow.