A Palindromic Poem

Artist Pu Xinyu (Chinese, 1896–1963)

Artist Pu Ru (Chinese, 1896–1963)

Date1959

MediumHanging scroll: ink on paper

Dimensions42 13/16 × 13 3/8 inches (108.7 × 34 cm)

ClassificationsCalligraphy

Credit LineGift of Sheila Dai and Michael Messitt

Terms

Calligraphy
Hanging scroll: ink
Poems
Poetry
Paper
Chinese

Object number2002.036

Label CopyThe calligraphy in running script shown here was written by Pu Ru in 1959, based on a poem composed during his short visit to Japan in 1956. In the poem Pu Ru expresses his sorrow for a long life of suffering during the chaotic and turbulent years of estrangement, first from the imperial household and then from mainland China. The poem is a classical qiyan lüshi (eight-line poem with seven characters to each line) formatted in a palindromic style, which demonstrated Pu’s excellent educational background in classical Chinese art and literature. ("Debating Art: Chinese Intellectuals at the Crossroads," curated by Yuhua Ding, with assistance by Elizabeth Emrich, and presented at the Johnson Museum February 2-July 8, 2018)

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