Kang You Wei · A ‘Xing Shu’ Couplet

时代：近代

名称：康有为行书对联

作者：康有为（公元1858年-公元1927年）

简介：

书体：行书

Era: Modern History

Calligrapher: Kang You Wei (1858 – 1927)

Overview: Kang You Wei was an ardent advocate of constitutional monarchy of the late Qing Dynasty. Apart from constitutional monarchy (which is to counterbalance absolute monarchy), the iconoclast took courage to propose a revamp in the troubled Chinese political system through the establishment of a parliamentary house, electorate and district councils. Kang was also a proponent of human rights, given the said political aspirations he had in mind. Unfortunately, his 100-day Reform Movement was thwarted by Empress Tzu His (Empress Dowager Ci Xi) who favoured the absolute monarchy. The failed movement forced him and another notable scholar who shared his thoughts, Liang Qi Chao, to flee China for Japan. He returned to China in 1913 after the 1911 Xinhai Revolution (the Chinese Revolution). Apart from his political aspirations, Kang was one of the major contributors to the development and promotion of the art of calligraphy in Chinese history. He authored a book called ‘Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Ji’ that is historically significant to the promotion of calligraphy. The book pays tribute to the blossoming of the art of calligraphy and epigraphy during the rule of Han and Wei dynasties. It gives prominence to the evolution of calligraphy and epigraphy over different epochs and plays an influential role in the study of this ancient art. In other words, the book sums up all the essences of the beauty of calligraphy and epigraphy in combination. The ‘Kang Nan Hai Ti’ produced in the later part of his life, which was inspired by Wei Dynasty’s ‘Xing Shu’ style, offers a close perspective into his individualized calligraphy style. Expect to see ‘weighty’, ‘substantial’ and ‘imposing’ calligraphy characteristics in this work. Kang is known for blending ‘Zhuan’ and ‘Li’ calligraphy styles into his ‘Xing Shu’ masterpiece. He loved to incorporate a generous amount of ‘Zhuan’ highlights with hints of ‘Li’ attributes in his calligraphy. The strokes seem to be vigorous and well composed, hearty yet oozing beauty in simplicity, unpretentious yet aesthetically dynamic.

Calligraphy Style: Xing Shu