Album of Poems for Chang Ch'ung-ho
1944
Through ardent practice and careful study of fine Tang and Song calligraphy masters exhibited at the Palace Museum in Beijing, Shen acquired a knowledge of calligraphy history, techniques and styles that enabled him to incorporate various elements in his calligraphy. He had developed his own style by the time he arrived in Chongqing in the 1940s. Typical of the period from 1933 to 1945, the compact characters are rendered in rhythmic brushstrokes. However, despite the fluidity of brushwork within each individual character, the characters are rarely connected, and appear as distinct units. Shen once said of Chinese calligraphy that "without sound, it has the rhythm of music; without color, it acquires the beauty of painting." This work documents his views on paintings through his own poems.
Calligraphy: Ink on silk
Overall: 8 9/16 x 18 3/4 in. (21.7 x 47.7 cm)
Gift of Chang Ch'ung-ho and Hans Frankel from their collection
2010.9.3.4
Provenance: Ch'ung-ho Chang Frankel, New Haven, CT, to 2009
Photo: Elizabeth Mann
