Deng Wenyuan
Elegant Yuan calligraphy with Jin spirit
Deng Wenyuan(鄧文原) (1258-1328), styled Shanzhi(善之) and also known as Feishi(匪石), was nicknamed Mr. Su Lü(素履先生). He was from Mianzhou (now Mianyang, Sichuan) and later moved to Hangzhou, Zhejiang. Because Mianzhou used to belong to the ancient Baxi Commandery, people also called Deng Wenyuan 'Deng Baxi(邓巴西).' He was a calligrapher during China's Yuan Dynasty. Deng Wenyuan was proficient in the Spring and Autumn Annals from a young age. He served as the Confucian Academy Principal of Hangzhou Road, Supervisor of Confucian Academies in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and Director of the National Academy. In the third year of Zhizhi (1323), he was summoned as a Scholar of the Hanlin Academy and concurrently as Dean of the National Academy. In the second year of Taiding (1325), he became a Lecturer and Scholar at the Hanlin Academy. He passed away in the first year of Tianli (1328) at the age of seventy-one. Deng Wenyuan excelled in calligraphy and was as famous as Zhao Mengfu. His writing was refined and elegant, and his poetry was simple, ancient, and luminous. In his early years, for regular, semi-cursive, and cursive scripts, he studied under Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, later learning from Li Yong. Critics say his calligraphy had the spirit of Jin Dynasty artists, though somewhat rough. He practiced the 'Ji Jiu Zhang' with ease and energetic strokes. His running script showed traces of Zhao Mengfu’s influence. Existing works include 'Copy of Ji Jiu Zhang,' 'Letters to Benzhai,' and 'Visit Letter with Staff.' The 'Copy of Ji Jiu Zhang' was written in the third year of Dade (1299) on paper in cursive script, with skillful, sharp, and spirited strokes, making it a well-known piece that has been passed down through generations.