Ke Jiusi
Mastered ink bamboo with calligraphic strokes
Ke Jiusi(柯九思) (1290–1343), courtesy name Jingzhong(敬仲), also known as Danqiu Sheng(丹丘生), was from Xianju, Taizhou (now Xianju County, Zhejiang). He was a painter, calligrapher, and art collector during the Yuan dynasty. He was a Confucian scholar in the Jiangsu-Zhejiang provinces at Ke Qianzi, and under his father's influence, he studied painting and calligraphy from a young age. In the first year of the Tianli era (1328), he traveled to Jiankang and met Huai Wang Tu Tie Mu Er. The following year, when Huai Wang ascended the throne as Emperor Wenzong of Yuan, Ke was appointed as the official in charge of the Dianrui Court at the seventh rank and later promoted to a fifth-rank Doctor of Calligraphy at Kuizhang Pavilion, responsible for evaluating palace collectibles, including inscriptions, paintings, and calligraphy. After Emperor Wenzong passed away, he retired to Wu and lived for a while in Yanzhi Bridge, Songjiang, where he socialized with Zhao Mengfu, Yu Ji, Ni Zan, and others. Ke Jiu-si was well-educated and talented in writing. He excelled at painting ink bamboo and advocated using seal script techniques for bamboo stalks, cursive script for bamboo branches, and brush strokes inspired by the Eighth Part method or Yan Zhenqing for bamboo leaves. His landscapes, figures, and flower paintings were known for their elegance and solidity. Some of his surviving works include 'Ink Bamboo in Qingbi Pavilion,' 'Twin Bamboo,' and two ink bamboo pieces in 'Seven Gentlemen of Yuan,' where the former imitates Wen Tong’s style, and the latter shows a more free-spirited flair. His calligraphy includes works like 'Old Man Star Rhapsody,' blending Ouyang Xun and Wei-Jin calligraphic techniques. He was also an expert collector and often used seals such as 'Ke’s Jingzhong' and 'Danqiu Ke Jiu-si Seal.' In the third year of Zhizheng (1343), he suddenly passed away in Suzhou in October.