Calligraphy

1983

Length:44.9 x Width:90.7 (cm)

Chen Chi-Lu (1923-2014, Jiangjun, Tainan) moved with his family at the age of three, living in Guangdong, Xiamen, Shanghai, and Tokyo. After graduating from St. John's University in Shanghai in 1948, he returned to Taiwan, working as an editor for Kung Lun Daily and managing its cultural supplement Taiwan Scenery, which sparked his lifelong engagement with ethnology and anthropology. He later served as professor, department chair, and dean of the College of Liberal Arts at National Taiwan University. In 1966, he earned his doctorate in sociology from the University of Tokyo, and in 1976 was elected an academician of Academia Sinica. Chen also held prominent government roles, including Chairperson of the Council for Cultural Affairs and Minister without Portfolio, making him a key figure in shaping Taiwan’s modern cultural policy.
During his years abroad, Chen befriended many Chinese, Taiwanese, and Japanese artists, from whom he learned various painting techniques. In his fieldwork documenting Taiwan’s Indigenous cultures, he produced finely detailed sketches, object illustrations, and visual ethnographic records—his drawing style is meticulous and realistic. His calligraphy, by contrast, is expressive and structurally dynamic, marked by rich ink tones and a distinctive aesthetic. This work presents the Northern Song poet Ouyang Xiu’s ci verse Treading on Grass (Ta Sha Hsing) in semi-cursive script. The poem captures the bittersweet emotions of parting in early spring. Chen's brushwork is bold and fluent, with the robust character of Northern Stele style. He spaces the characters according to his own expressive rhythm rather than traditional line breaks, allowing the brush to follow the contours of emotion across the page.
Transcription: “The plum blossoms linger at the posthouse. Willows grow slender by the stream and bridge. Spring wind warms the grass and stirs my horse’s reins. Parting sorrow drifts farther and farther, endlessly flowing like spring waters. My tender heart aches inch by inch. Tears glisten on powdered cheeks. The tower is tall—don’t lean too close to the rail. Beyond the boundless grass, the spring mountains rise. And you, my love, are beyond even those.” The piece is signed and dated Mid-Autumn Festival of the year Guihai (1983), with three seals: “Fifty years without touching the brush,” “Chen Chi-Lu,” and “Created after the 60th year cycle of Guihai”.

Accession number:20170300043