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That inking feeling

Zhao Zhiqian is considered a leading figure in the reform of China's ink tradition in the 19th century, promoting it to a new realm. He created a new style of calligraphy, which was grounded in his profound studies of the Yan style, named after the exponent calligrapher Yan Zhenqing of the eighth century, and the writings engraved on stone tablets dated to the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534).

Zhao also incorporated the techniques of calligraphic brushwork into the creation of Chinese painting, especially the flower-and-bird genre that he specialized in. Experiencing many hardships in his lifetime, Zhao never gave up on expanding the boundaries of Chinese ink art, through his endeavors to be a consummate artist himself. Zhejiang Art Museum has mounted an exhibition dedicated to Zhao's accomplishments in ink, Luminous and Carefree, running through to March 3, in Hangzhou, the provincial capital, where Zhao, a native of the neighboring city Shaoxing, lived his final years. The exhibition gathers collections from a dozen museums and cultural institutions.

It is a survey of the social and cultural contexts in which Zhao was brought up, and which helped shape his takes on life and art. When learning from those historic figures who kept enriching the ink tradition, he was inspired to add new dimensions to it to carry on its cultural lineage.

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