Wen Zhengming

CHINA, Jiangsu, Suzhou; Ming dynasty

Wen Zhengming, originally named Wen Bi and also known as Zhengzhong, was a famous painter and calligrapher from Changzhou (present day Suzhou, Jiangsu). At a young age, he began studying Confucian teachings and poetry, and showed proficiency in calligraphy. He became a painter-in-attendance in the Hanlin Academy in 1523, but left three years later. Wen was greatly influenced by several masters such as the painter Shen Zhou, calligrapher Li Yingzhen, and poet Wu Kuan. Closely associated with Zhu Yunming, Tang Yin, and Xu Zhenqing, they were together regarded as the Four Elite Scholars of the Wu Region. Known to be a Buddhist and well-acquainted with various Chan masters, his artwork often reflected Chan teachings and influence. Wen’s sons, Wen Peng and Wen Jia, as well as his great-grandson Wen Zhenmeng, also became renowned calligraphers and painters.
Wen was fond of copying sutras in regular script and noted that the expert calligrapher will progress from regular script to cursive script. He specialized in running and cursive scripts, his forceful and elegant brushstrokes resembling those of Chan Master Zhiyong, and his larger characters emulated the peculiar forms of Huang Tingjian.
Also good at landscape painting, he learned from Guo Xi, Li Tang, Wu Zhen, and Zhao Mengfu, and often depicted the scenery around Jiangnan and the life of scholars. His compositions are simple and refined. He was skilled in painting figures and plants such as orchids and bamboo. Known to have many disciples, Wen established the painting style of the Wu Region and was renowned as one of the Four Masters of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) together with Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, and Qiu Ying.
Among Wen’s many extant Buddhist calligraphy pieces, his copy of the Heart Sutra is kept at the Nanjing Museum in Jiangsu; Poem is kept at the Capital Museum in Beijing. Wen also scripted the calligraphy for a stele inscription of the poet Zhang Ji’s work, A Night Mooring by Maple Bridge, at Hanshan Temple in Jiangsu. Another stele inscription, featuring Poem of Tao Jingjie, is found on the Stele Wall of Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Extant paintings by Wen are kept at various museums around Asia such as the Palace Museum in Beijing, the Shanghai Museum, the Suzhou Museum in Jiangsu, and the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan.