This dissertation examines the aesthetic characteristics of Shangqi (尙奇), a calligraphic orientation toward the extraordinary that emerged amid political instability and intellectual transformation in late Ming China. Focusing on the cursive scrip...
This dissertation examines the aesthetic characteristics of Shangqi (尙奇), a calligraphic orientation toward the extraordinary that emerged amid political instability and intellectual transformation in late Ming China. Focusing on the cursive scripts (草書) of Wang Duo (王鐸) and Fu Shan (傅山), the study conducts a comparative analysis to clarify how Shangqi aesthetics developed through different expressive directions while sharing a common historical foundation. Rather than understanding Shangqi as a simple pursuit of eccentricity or formal deviation, this dissertation approaches it as a visual articulation of historical tension and subjective emotion shaped by the conditions of the late Ming period.
The late Ming era was marked by profound disruptions in social order and value systems, accompanied by the spread of Yangming learning, which emphasized subjectivity, individuality, and emotional authenticity. As traditional aesthetic norms based on balance, restraint, and adherence to established models gradually lost authority, new artistic tendencies emerged that favored expressive intensity and unconventional form. In calligraphy, these changes prompted a departure from repetitive formalism toward experimental manipulation of brushwork, structure, and spatial organization in order to convey inner tension and emotional force. Within this context, Shangqi calligraphy did not reject traditional principles outright but instead transformed and reconfigured them to generate heightened aesthetic tension and expressive power.
This study first examines the historical and intellectual background that gave rise to Shangqi calligraphy and clarifies its defining aesthetic features. By situating calligraphic developments within broader currents of intellectual history, this dissertation argues that Shangqi should be understood not as a rupture from tradition but as a process of creative transformation. From a formal perspective, the analysis focuses on brushwork, structural composition, spatial arrangement, and ink treatment to demonstrate how Shangqi aesthetics are concretely realized in calligraphic practice.
On this basis, the dissertation analyzes Wang Duo’s cursive script, highlighting the role of powerful brush force, bold execution, and dynamic compositional momentum (勢) in producing a vigorous and expansive calligraphic aesthetic. Wang Duo’s calligraphy employs extraordinary forms and dramatic distortions to organize strong directional energy across the pictorial field. These characteristics can be summarized by the concept of “seeking momentum through the extraordinary” (奇中求勢), in which formal irregularity functions as a means of generating force, movement, and large-scale visual coherence.
The study then turns to Fu Shan’s cursive script, examining features such as free brush movement, fragmented structure, and an emphasis on vitality and emotional sincerity. In Fu Shan’s work, formal disruption and rough brush texture do not result in disorder for its own sake but serve to enhance expressive resonance and aesthetic depth. His calligraphy places particular emphasis on resonance (韻), naturalness, and inward emotional expression. These qualities may be encapsulated by the concept of “achieving resonance through the extraordinary” (奇中得韻), which represents a contrasting yet complementary direction within Shangqi calligraphy.
Through comparative analysis, this dissertation demonstrates that while Wang Duo and Fu Shan share a common Shangqi orientation, they articulate fundamentally different aesthetic priorities. Wang Duo’s calligraphy develops an aesthetics centered on force, momentum, and dynamic expansion, whereas Fu Shan’s work advances toward an aesthetics of resonance, naturalness, and lyrical expression. Furthermore, the study argues that Shangqi calligraphy should be understood not as a single stylistic model but as a pluralistic aesthetic category encompassing divergent expressive paths.
Finally, this dissertation examines the influence of Wang Duo’s and Fu Shan’s Shangqi calligraphy on subsequent developments in Qing dynasty calligraphy as well as on calligraphic traditions in Japan and Korea. By situating Shangqi aesthetics within a broader East Asian context, the study demonstrates that this calligraphic orientation played a significant historical role in expanding the scope of individual expression and contributing to the formation of early modern aesthetic consciousness in East Asian calligraphy.