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Essay

Phil Chan
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Raised in a traditional Chinese family with a distinguished history, Chang Ch’ung-ho Frankel (born 1913) has a broad, deep knowledge of classical Chinese literature and the arts, including kunqu (昆曲) opera, poetry and calligraphy. She is a skilled performer and teacher of kunqu opera. In calligraphy, while she excels at a wide variety of script types and is conversant in the work of many famous calligraphers, she is particularly renowned for her small standard script (xiaokai 小楷).Qianshen Bai, “Zhang Chonghe de shengping yu yishu” 張充和的生平與藝術. In Qianshen Bai ed., Selected Works of Chang Ch’ung-ho’s Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting (Beijing: SDX Joint Publishing Company, 2010): 20.

This handscroll, dated 28th February, 1939, when she was twenty-six years old, is believed to be one of her earliest small standard script works extant today. Not only does it attest to the fact that Chang excelled at small standard script at a young age, but also is useful in studying stylistic changes in her calligraphy.Another similar handscroll is also in the collection of Seattle Art Museum (accession number 2010.8.1.1-6). See also Qianshen Bai, “Literati Legacy in the Modern Era: Ch’ung-ho Chang Frankel and Friends,” in Mimi Gardner Gates ed., Fragrance of the Past: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting by Ch’ung-ho Chang Frankel and Friends (Seattle: Seattle Art Museum, 2006): 15.

Measuring over five meters long, this handscroll contains thirty-four Ci 詞 poems composed by the Southern Song poet, Jiang Kui 姜夔 (1154–1221) in 288 lines. Although the titles of the poem (cipai詞牌) are present, the poems are not written in order. Moreover, some characters are even omitted or incorrect.Compare the text to Jiang Baishi ci biannian jianjiao姜白石詞編年箋校 (Taipei: Zhonghua shuju, 1967). This suggests that, when writing this work, Chang was in a casual mindset. Each character is square in shape, has a loose structure, and its strokes are not linked together. The horizontal strokes (henghua 橫畫) are long, the na 捺strokes thick. Some characters incorporate elements of clerical script (lishu 隸書). Interestingly, Chang often writes complex characters in a smaller size, but simple ones in a larger size. These structural characteristics can be traced to the Thirteen Lines from Prose Poem on the Nymph of the Luo River (Luoshenfu洛神賦) by Wang Xianzhi (王獻之344–386) of the Eastern Jin dynasty (東晉317–420). Yet the overall style is similar to Wang Chong (王寵1494–1533), one of the three masters of the Wu school in the Ming dynasty (明朝1368–1644). There is little wonder why Chang’s calligraphy teacher Shen Yinmo 沈尹默 (1883–1971) characterized her small standard script as “the Ming calligraphers’ interpretation of Jin calligraphy” (Mingren xue Jinshu 明人學晉書).Selected Works of Chang Ch’ung-ho’s Poetry, Calligraphy, and Painting: 59. This handscroll displays playful brushwork, which differs significantly from Chang’s later style, especially after she started learning from ancient epitaphs at Shen’s suggestion.Ch’ung-ho Chang, “Cong xiyan shuoqi: jinian Shen Yinmo shi” 從洗硯說起 — 紀念沈尹默師. In Ch’ung-ho Chang’s collection, Shen Yinmo shuzhong moji沈尹默蜀中墨蹟 (Nanning: Guangxi meishu chubanshe, 2001), p.4. Qianshen Bai, “Shen Yinmo yu Chang Ch’ung-ho” 沈尹默與張充和. In the same book: 13-14.

Jiang Kui [also known as Baishi (白石)], a famous Southern Song poet, excelled at music and calligraphy. He lived during times of conflict and tense relations between the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) and the Jin dynasty (1115–1234) in the north China. Thus, his poems always touch on calamities caused by war to express his anxiety about the political situation.Note 3. Chang made this handscroll when she was in Kunming 昆明, Yunnan 雲南 province between 1938-40, at the height of the Sino-Japanese War (1937-45). Perhaps the turmoil that she experienced allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of Jiang’s poems.In 1994, Chang finished copying the Treatise on Calligraphy (Shupu 書譜) by Sun Guoting (孫過庭) and Xu Shupu (續書譜) by Jiang Kui. They were translated to English by Chang’s husband, Hans Frankel (1916-2003). It’s later published as Two Chinese Treatises on Calligraphy (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995). See Zhang Chonghe shu張充和書, Sun Kangyi 孫康ed. Zhang Chonghe tizi xuanji 張充和題字選集 (Hong Kong: Oxford University Press (China) Ltd, 2009): 18-19. In that light, she may well have written Jiang's poems to express her own anxieties about the political situation of the 1930s.

Writing small standard script, which she is said to have practiced frequently during the war period, requires less time spent grinding ink. Some of the works were made during the brief time between the first and second air attack warnings. Even so, she was still meticulous in her choice of ink and paper.Note 4. This handscroll is done with a very dark tone of ink on blue paper with small sprinkles of gold foil. Though the lower edge of the scroll was damaged by mice over the years, the calligraphy is still fresh, featuring exacting and spirited brushwork.

© 2013 by the Seattle Art Museum

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