Zhang Ruitu Sunny Snow and Long Pine Axis

[Zhang Ruitu Qingxue Changsong Picture Axis]

Qingxue Changsong Picture Axis, Ming Chongzhen, Zhang Ruitu Drawing, paper-based ink pen, 136.3 cm vertically and 43.3 cm horizontally
Zhang Ruitu is good at both calligraphy and painting. Calligraphy has the charm of Zhang Xu and Huai Su, and is known as “the four calligraphers of the late Ming Dynasty” together with Dong Qichang and others. However, his calligraphy style is quite different from others, and his style is extremely stubborn and unrestrained. Later generations call it “Ruitu’s calligraphy is extremely elegant, and there is another way out of the clock and king.” Painting is like Huang Gongwang, and its style is vigorous and elegant. Most of his paintings are made by chance, so there are few works handed down. His large paintings are characterized by extensive strokes and sparse composition. In this picture, the ink brush is painted with clear springs and fine stones, and the pines are covered with snow. The whole picture is green and moist. The brush is chapped and dyed, and the dots are interlaced. The strokes are thick, which shows that Zhang’s pen and ink skills are excellent
The self-title of this picture is: “The frozen spring rests on the fine stone, and the clear snow falls on the long pine. The picture of the Zhongguo Pavilion in the spring at the noon of the Geng Festival is written”, with the seal of “Ruitu” Zhu Wenfang and “Zhang Changgong” Zhu Wenfang. The inscriptions are crazy and strange, the strokes are vigorous and elegant, and the charm is exposed, which is quite “strange”. According to this, it can be seen that this picture was painted in the third year of Chongzhen (1630), when Zhang Ruitu was 60 years old, which was the year when he was dismissed and returned. The title sentence in the picture is from Du Fu’s poem “Visiting the Zen Master of the Truth Temple”