Famous masters of the past - Ming - Wang Fu

Wang Fu (王绂), also spelled Mengduan (孟端), was born on the third day of the first month of May in the 22nd year of the Yuan Dynasty (1362), a native of Wuxi. At an early age, he was intelligent and studious, he could compose poetry at the age of 10, and at the age of 15, he was a disciple of Youxue Yixiu, and often sang harmony with famous poets such as Qian Zhongyi and Pu Changyuan. He especially likes to paint. In the eleventh year of Ming Hongwu (1378), Zhu Yuanzhao recruited a scholar who was idle at home and conferred the title of doctoral disciple. Wang Fu was also recommended to Beijing. However, he was arrogant and arrogant, did not seek fame and fortune, and soon returned to his hometown and lived in seclusion shortly after entering Beijing. In the thirteenth year of Hongwu, Zhu Yuanzhang attacked Zuo Xiang Hu Weiyong. 10 years later, a large prison was raised on the charge of Hu's rebellion against the party. Although Wang Fu did not ask about politics, he was also tired of things and was sent to Datong, Shanxi Province, to serve as a pawn for more than 10 years. In the second year of Jianwen (1400), he returned to his hometown and lived in seclusion in Jiulong Mountain (i.e., Huishan), composing poems and paintings, and teaching his disciples. He once composed "Bamboo Diagram of Qingyu" for the monks of Huishan Temple, and inscribed five words and one poem of seven words. It has become a good story in the poetry circle of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ancient poems written by Wei (應物), Liu (Zongyuan), the late Tang Dynasty, the words are feminine, randomly rendered, and naturally fit. In the first year of Yongle (1403), Wang Fu was recommended to Beijing for the Book of Kindness, where he served in Wenyuan Pavilion and participated in the compilation of the Yongle Canon. Ten years after Yongle, at the age of 50, he began to teach Zhongshu Sheren and was sent to Beijing to engage in the preparatory work for the relocation of the capital. In the eleventh and twelfth years of Yongle, he twice accompanied Ming Chengzu on his northern tour and made the famous "Eight Views of Yanjing".

Wang Fu's painting is good at landscapes, especially dead wood and bamboo stones, and he teaches Wu Zhen, Wang Meng and other Yuan Dynasty masters. His landscape paintings combine the style of Wang Mengyucang with the artistic conception of Ni Zhan. It had a certain influence on the landscape painting of the Wumen School. However, he refused to lightly paint landscape paintings, so posterity had the verse "The flow of the crown of the person's demeanor, the bottom of the pen is not easy to seek". He painted bamboo and collected the lengths of various famous artists since the Northern Song Dynasty, especially Ni Zhan and Ke Jiusi, and after a long period of speculation, he formed a unique style, flowing and majestic, and sprinkling vertically and horizontally. People call his ink bamboo "the first of the Ming Dynasty".

He has a solitary and self-sustaining personality, and does not paint for those who are not confidants, so there are not many works passed down. The poems and paintings circulated in the world include: "Wang Sheren Poetry Collection", "Youshi Mountain House Collection", "Xiaoxiang Autumn Intention", "Jiangshan Fishing Music Map", "Autumn Forest Hermitage Map", "Bamboo Crane Double Qing Map", "Ink Bamboo Map", "Lugou Xiaoyue Map", "Eight Views of Yanjing", "Dead Wood Bamboo Stone Map" and so on. Yongle died of illness at the Beijing residence on February 6, 1414, at the age of 54.

Good at painting landscape ink bamboo, landscape painting has two styles of complexity and simplicity, long lines of complex brush strokes, flexible turns, more use of center forwards, learn Wang Meng, Wu Zhen brushwork. The stick pen is used together with dry pen, partial edge, and rubbing, from Huang Gongwang and Ni Zhan. The ink and bamboo brushwork is flexible and steady, contains calligraphic characteristics, and is mostly influenced by Wen Tong. It is well-known in the early Ming Dynasty painting circle. In calligraphy, the ancients themselves.

Landscape master Wang Meng, painting the distant mountains of the Yangtze River and the strange stones of the bushes, all of which are exquisite. Yonglejian was famous for its ink bamboo and was the first at that time. There are gold medallions to buy its ruler pieces. He is also erudite and good at poetry. People commented on the painting of bamboo: "Can be beautiful in the momentum, and see the sprinkling in the vertical and horizontal places." Between the square inches of its picture, you can see the dashing Qi'ao, and the wonderful realm is deep and quiet.