Calligraphy

This calligraphy tells the story of a gentleman named Pei. Fang Zhaoling set the scene by stating that Pei had moved from southern Guizhou to the minority area of Bo in southwestern Guizhou. For three years Pei lived in Tu'er, a village south of Bo, where he built columns with plant materials. Fang described the columns as standing "handsomely in the universe"and provided the advice: "Young people, you should see in those grass columns the same strength you should seek in your compositions and calligraphy."

Fang Zhaoling's distinctive handwriting, which often plays a role in her paintings, can be explored more fully in this and other calligraphic works. Her characters are large and confidently rendered in very dark ink and quick, sure strokes. Typical of her mature style, the characters here are bold and somewhat angular. Many of the dots and the ends of strokes were formed with a quick flick or thrust of the brush.