Not being able to produce good calligraphy is the bane of my existence. As a kid growing up in Hong Kong, calligraphy was a necessary evil because often it was part of my homework assignment. To this date I remember burning mid night oil to catch up on completing summer vacation assignments before school starts again in the fall (yes, teachers do assign summer vacation home works), and that usually involved finishing a thread bound booklet of calligraphy. I was so ashamed of my handwriting that I seldom put my name on anything. The pursuit of Chines Brush painting submerged me deeper in this turmoil. The fact that calligraphy is the basis of any brushstrokes kept mocking me. Unfortunately I had a teacher who told me that calligraphy is not important and oddly enough he never signs any of his paintings either.
When I started off this painting it was just that, a simple painting. It was an etude one might say. I was emulating a painting; studying its composition and choice of brushstrokes. I felt the need to occupy the upper portions of the scene scape. The thought of incorporating calligraphy came to mind.
In sheer coincidence, I am studying the calligraphy of Su Shi ( pseudonym of Su Dongpo) of the Song Dynasty. He was a scholar, poet and calligrapher amongst other things. He wrote this poem during his exile, lamenting his sad political stature. I took 4 verses of his poetry and wrote them in his style of calligraphy onto this simple painting.
A loose translation of the poem is
The River kept rising and is flooding my abode,
yet the rain would not stop.
You have kept me out by your 9 gates,
and the cemetery is 10 thousand miles away.
Su Shi was describing his bleak situation.
I found the writing describes my painting well..... an air of solitude, minuscule existence, gloom.
Obviously I am no great painter, certainly not a poet nor a calligrapher. I did this piece of work purely by the karma of luck, having the ingredients of the 3 Perfections at my disposal.
Note: in Chinese culture, the number 9 also euphemistically mean 'a long time' or 'countless'. Being kept out by 9 gates describes the abandonment of Su Shi by the Emperor.
Chinese culture then demanded a person to visit the ancetors' grave sites during this time of year, as a sign of respect and remembrance. The fact that he was deposed and exiled meant that his trek to visit the cemetery would be impossible. Ten thousand miles is not a literal measurement of distance, but rather a symbol of infinity. Ten thousand miles meant insurmountable obstacle.
