Running Script Fan "Two Poems by Sung Dynasty Poet Wang Anshi" (行書扇面“宋王安石詩二首”)

This fan by Zhu Angzhi bears two poems by Wang Anshi written in running script, with an ink tone that is pure and flowing. The characters are arranged along the arc of the fan, alternating between upright and slanted forms, yet maintaining a unified rhythm throughout. The strokes often begin with hidden tips and are mostly executed with a centered brush. At the turning points, his skill is evident, with clear pauses and decisive movements. The character structures are slender, with measured expansion and contraction between the strokes. Large characters lead the visual rhythm, followed closely by smaller ones, creating a cadence like running water. The alternation of rich, pale, dry, and moist ink gives variety—dense ink like drops of lacquer, pale ink like distant clouds among peaks; in the open spaces, a breeze seems to flow, carrying a sense of stillness. The brushwork is unadorned yet full of literary grace, in harmony with the lofty and vigorous style of Wang Anshi’s poetry. In terms of composition, the first column is steady, the last column neatly gathered; the inscription and seals are placed in the lower corner, their red balancing the white space, anchoring the visual weight. The work as a whole is both elegant and upright, inheriting the plain naturalness of the Song masters while also showing the refined restraint of a Qing scholar. It is a piece suitable for refined display, inviting repeated appreciation. Although the fan ribs impose divisions, the brushwork flows freely, transforming rigidity into vitality. The spacing between characters alternates between tight and open, like the rhythm of breath. It is fit to be handled and admired on a scholar’s desk, and it reflects the shifts and self-contented ease of late Qing literati calligraphy, with an enduring charm.