Zhao Mengfu
Revived classical elegance in calligraphy and painting
Zhao Mengfu (October 22, 1254 – July 29, 1322), courtesy name Zi'ang, Han ethnicity, also known as Songxue Daoren, and also as Shuijinggong Daoren (some say Shuijinggong Daoren) and Oubo. In middle age, he once used the name Mengfu. He was from Wuxing, Zhejiang (now Huzhou, Zhejiang Province) and originally from Lanxi, Wuzhou. He was an official, calligrapher, painter, and writer from the late Southern Song to early Yuan dynasty and the eleventh-generation grandson of Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin. Zhao Mengfu was intelligent from a young age. At the end of the Southern Song, he served as an assistant military officer in Zhenzhou. After the Song dynasty fell, he retired and lived in seclusion, declining official positions several times until the 23rd year of Yuan Zhiyuan (1286), when the inspector Cheng Jufu recommended him, and he went to the capital to meet Yuan Shizu, being appointed as a Langzhong in the Ministry of War. After that, he held positions such as Scholar of Jixian, Administrator of Jinan Road, Supervisor of Confucian Academies in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and Hanlin Scholar Reader, eventually becoming Hanlin Scholar Chengzhi and Honorary Grand Master. From the reign of Emperor Shizu to Wuzong, Renzong, and Yingzong, he was all highly respected. In his later years, he gradually retired and in the sixth year of Yan You (1319), he requested permission to retire due to illness. In the second year of Zhizhi (1322), Zhao Mengfu passed away at the age of 69. He was posthumously awarded the title Duke of Wei and given the posthumous title Wenmin, later being called Zhao Wenmin. Zhao Mengfu was knowledgeable and talented, skilled in classical poetry and prose, familiar with music, and proficient in appraisal. In calligraphy, he excelled in regular script, running script, and small cursive, with his writing being round, flowing, and elegant, earning fame as the 'Zhao style.' He and Xianyu Shu were known as 'Xian-Zhao,' and along with Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, and Liu Gongquan, he was considered one of the 'Four Great Masters of Regular Script.' His paintings spanned wide subjects and masterful techniques, excelling in landscape, flowers, and birds. He advocated following the methods of ancient masters and emphasized that 'calligraphy and painting share the same origin.' He also proposed reforms to the long-standing system of the Southern Song academy, creating a new Yuan dynasty painting style, becoming a leading figure in the Yuan art scene, known as 'the crown of Yuan painters.' His painting, calligraphy, and art theory deeply influenced later generations. Moreover, his poetry and prose were elegant and gentle, and he also worked in seal carving, famous for 'Yuan Zhu script.' His works include collections such as the 'Songxue Zhai Wenji.'