Conceptual Landscape

Yan Zhenqing's earthen-method glaze making ~ Round One

Time: 2014, day 24 [father's note is missing the month]

Location: Huangnitou, Jingdezhen

Characters: Zhang Xu (Lao Mu), Yan Zhenqing (Xue Leiqi)

Materials: 20 square meters of man-made garbage at Huangnitou, randomly cut and felled tree-trunks. Source for the disorderly-arts story — Character A: Tang-dynasty master calligrapher Zhang Xu, courtesy name Bogao, from Wu County. During the Kaiyuan era he came to Changshu as county officer. According to histories such as 《Tang Guoshi Bu》, he was passionate for wine and often drank himself dead-drunk. Once drunk he would shout and run wildly, then take up his brush and write — sometimes dipping his hair in ink to write rapidly. After sobering, he would gaze at his own calligraphy — dragon-flying, phoenix-dancing, floating in countless forms — believing it had been assisted by divine power.

Character B: Yan Zhenqing, when young, came from a poor family that lacked paper and brushes. He used a brush dipped in yellow-mud water to practice writing on walls. He first studied with Chu Suiliang, later studied with Zhang Xu, and also drew on the characteristics of the Four Masters of the Early Tang, absorbing the brushwork of seal and clerical scripts and Northern Wei. He formed his own style, reversing the early-Tang manner — transforming the thin-and-hard into full and powerful, with broad structure and grand momentum. People call it 「Yan style」.

Intervening in nature with the body, refusing the formulas of brush and ink. In the 2014 water-side actions at Jingdezhen — swimming, drifting, writing — the ancient wisdom of 《Chongbantu》's 「water is the base-point of all things」 was transformed into contemporary practice. The reflection in water — 「ohng」 (soul) — became the core image. In June 2014 the artistic alter-ego 「Meng Chunsheng」 was conceived. In 2025 at Zongtong Temple, a 50cm × 50m raw xuan handscroll completed the conceptual closure from action to brushwork. 「Without style becomes style」 — let mountains and waters speak for themselves.