A Crane Among the Clouds. On a Chinese Calli­graphy Diptych at the National Museum in Warsaw

Abstract

Harmonious works of art combining various art disciplines have for centuries been highly appreciated in traditional Chinese culture. An excellent example of this were calligraphy poems. Inscriptions of this kind could be treatments of the calligrapher’s original lyricism or of words by other poets. The subject of the article is a calligraphy diptych containing a cou­plet and signed with the name of Kang Youwei (1858–1927), a famous Chinese politician and calligrapher. The work makes its impact on the viewer on several levels: in its lingual content, literary form, calligraphy type and inscription style. In order to correctly interpret the artefact, the article not only attempts to explain its verbal message but addresses the compositional rules that applied to similarly structured poetry works and analyses the piece’s visual value. The last of these aspects seems to be of key importance. The study undertaken was aimed at finding the cultural inspirations behind the work in question, determining its historical function and discussing its main artistic qualities.