Calligraphy by Bak Tae-yu

Calligraphy by Bak Tae-yu is a collection of writing samples by Bak Tae-yu (1648–1686), a civil official and celebrated calligrapher of the late seventeenth century, set down in a range of sizes and scripts. It includes regular script (haeseo), running-cursive script (haengcho), wild cursive script (gwangcho), clerical script (yeseo) and running script (haengseo); the regular script alone ranges from small (sohae) through medium (junghae) to large characters (daejaseo). A heptasyllabic regulated poem written in medium-sized regular script in particular shows that he actively absorbed the regular-script style of the Tang calligrapher Yan Zhenqing. A heptasyllabic quatrain, written with running-cursive strokes mixed in, follows the style of his father Bak Se-dang, itself close to Yan Zhenqing's running-cursive calligraphy. Two four-character phrases written large, in cursive script, two characters to a line -- meaning roughly 'the diction is ardent and incisive' and 'the principle is profound and abstruse' -- call to mind the style of the Tang master of wild cursive script, Huaisu (active in the eighth century). Also notable is a phrase in clerical script meaning 'writing possesses the Six Principles', referring to the six basic categories underlying the formation of Chinese characters. Taken together, this album fully demonstrates Bak Tae-yu's calligraphic ability. Although it records neither the occasion nor the date of writing, nor the name of the person for whom it was written, it is thought to have been produced to guide someone in the study of calligraphy.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Suwon, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물