Mi Fu's Running Script

Mi Fu’s Running Script
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Mi Fu’s Running Script
The Chinese writing system visually represents verbal communication as indicated by the Chinese script. The script entails a logographic system of writing that uses characters as the basic writing units. Chinese characters have no syllabary or alphabet, but they represent a monosyllabic morpheme. Chinese calligraphy refers to the stylized artistic representation of Chinese characters. In addition, it is perceived as a visual art in China, which establishes the standard for judging Chinese painting. Early Chinese words were seen as simplified pictorial images, whose meaning was derived through imagination and suggestion. Mi Fu was a renowned Chinese calligrapher, painter, and poet. He was born during the Song dynasty in Taiyuan. His misty landscape painting style involved using large wet ink dots that were applied using a flat brush. Mi Fu was a great calligrapher alongside Cai Xian, Su Shi, and Hung Tingjian. The paper focuses on Mi Fu’s running script.
Mi Fu started showing interest in painting, art, poetry, and calligraphy during his childhood. His family was privileged since Mi Fu’s mother was the emperor’s wet nurse. As such, Mi Fu grew up in the royal palaces and interacted with the imperial family. The person was talented in calligraphy but was not willing to enroll in formal lessons. Due to his critics of the conventional regulations during the Song Dynasty, Mi Fu changed jobs more frequently. At some point, he was the book reviser at the imperial library, the Board of Rites secretary, a professor of calligraphy and painting at the Kaifeng capital in Henan province, and Huaiyang’s military governor (China Online Museum, 2022). Moreover, Mi Fu gathered old paintings and writings since he was interested in understanding the work of other calligraphers and painters. The individual had an eccentric personality. For instance, he was manifested by his attention to cleanliness and his preference for ancient Chinese clothes. He also liked to collect ink stones and strange rocks. The individual had great respect for other Chinese painters and calligraphers and was determined to learn crucial lessons from their work. When it comes to the subject of calligraphy, Mi Fu valued self-expression and gave remarkable remarks about Chinese historic styles.
Being raised in the imperial premises, Mi Fu had the advantage of accessing numerous works of scholars, including paintings and poems. At a young age, he read and recited many poems. He had an incredible memory. However, Mi Fu was much interested in how letters were written. Calligraphy excited him. Despite depicting great talent in calligraphy, Mi Fu turned down formal lessons provided on the imperial premises. The person demonstrated a significant level of understanding of calligraphy and preferred to teach himself instead of what he was taught. Poetry, calligraphy, and painting were Mi Fu’s favorite things. During the Song Dynasty, painters were perceived as intellectual scholars. Calligraphy and painting were ways of expressing their perceptions, views, or reactions to life (McNair, 19...