Night (Ye), Written in Section Script

Artists

Description

This large, horizontally oriented, rectangular album leaf is inscribed with nine columns of text, the columns with varying numbers of characters and thus of various lengths. The text is a forty-two-character poem composed and inscribed on this album leaf by Fung Ming Chip (standard Mandarin transcription: Feng Mingqiu). The artist has stated to the curator that the work's title is Night ("Ye"). The character "Ye" appears in the fourth column from the left; in fact, it is the only character in that column of text. The characters are written in cursive, or running, script ("xingshu") in a manner that the artist characterizes as "section script." This calligraphic work is not dated; however, the artist stated to the curator that he created it in 2009. This calligraphic work is not signed, but it includes three seals of the artist, which identify it as a work of Fung Ming Chip. The three seals, which the artist himself carved, and their locations can be described as follows: Left: Square, red, relief seal reading "Ming Chip" (Ming Qiu) [Artist's given name] Center: Square, red, pictorial seal reading "Yun" (Clouds) Right: Square, red, intaglio seal reading "Jian Zhi Ji Li" (Seeing this brings good fortune) The poem can be translated as follows: Freezing quiet streets Whipping away, Occasional passing cars. Heartless street lights, Faint north winds Revive the underground dancer with a kiss. Night Deeply sunk within emptiness, Happiness is actually The color turquoise.

Dimensions

calligraphy proper: 27.2 x 57.5 cm (10 11/16 x 22 5/8 in.) mounting: 50 x 70.1 cm (19 11/16 x 27 5/8 in.)

Provenance

Fung Ming Chip, Hong Kong (2009-2010), sold; to Susan L. Beningson, New York, 2010, gift; to Harvard Art Museums, 2010. NOTE: This work was created by Fung Ming Chip in Hong Kong in 2009.