Author: Lien Sheng-Yen

Size:Length:136 x Width:35 (cm)

Size description：136×35

Introduction：Lien Sheng-yen (1938–) was born in Sanchong, Taipei County (now Sanchong District, New Taipei City). His courtesy name is Mu-hao, and his literary sobriquet is Chieh-ko. He graduated from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Chung Yuan Christian University and completed graduate studies in the Education Research Institute at National Taiwan Normal University. He has served as chairman of the board at Ching Chuan Commercial and Industrial Vocational High School, president of the Huan-o Calligraphy Society, chairman of the Chinese Calligraphy Association, principal of Ching Chuan Commercial and Industrial Vocational High School, and as a National Assembly delegate, among other positions.

The artist began studying calligraphy under Tsao Chiu-pu in 1967, building his foundation in the regular and semi-cursive scripts before going on to explore the clerical, cursive, and seal scripts. His works have received wide recognition, including the Outstanding Award in Calligraphy at the First World Calligraphy and Painting Competition and recognition at the 10th Global Chinese Cultural Arts Heritage Award in Calligraphy. He has been invited to serve as juror at the National Fine Arts Exhibition, Provincial Fine Arts Exhibition, Tatun Fine Arts Exhibition, and other competitions on multiple occasions.

This work is a seven-character Spring Festival couplet reading: "The way of the mean and radiant virtue bring peace and well-being to the people; upright spirit and benevolent customs bring wealth and prosperity to the nation." The content is rooted in Confucian thought, emphasizing the doctrines of the Mean (Zhongyong) and the Great Learning (Daxue), and giving concrete expression to the spirit of benevolence (ren)—rich in educational meaning. At the same time, the couplet articulates the shared aspiration of the public at the New Year for national peace and prosperity in the year ahead. In composing the couplet, the artist sought to appeal equally to the refined and the popular.

Lien composed this work in clerical script. The characters are broad and generous in structure; the generous spacing and ample white space give the work an open, unhurried atmosphere. The style is grounded in Han dynasty stone inscriptions, with an inherently stable and upright structure, but the artist skillfully incorporates the expressive qualities of cliff-face carvings and the clerical tradition of the Qing dynasty, creating a personal aesthetic. Both angular and rounded turns appear throughout, so the style transcends the austere solemnity of Han clerical script, offering greater variety in character form and a more fluid, natural quality of line. The colophon is written in regular script with unadorned, artless brushwork, serving as a complement to and echo of the main text throughout.

Colophon: Written with reverence on an auspicious day in early spring, the second Jiawu year, by Chieh-ko Lien Sheng-yen.
Seals: Auspicious Blessings; Seal of Lien Sheng-yen; Chieh-ko.

Accession Number:PT10300701

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