YU FEI'AN (CHINA, 1888-1959)

One of the 20th-century masters of the bird-and-flower genre, Yu Fei’an creates his trademark calligraphic and painting style after emulating works by the calligraphers and painters he admires. He models his calligraphy after the hand of Emperor Huizong of the Song dynasty (r. 1100-1126), who invented his own highly individualistic “slender-gold” style.  Yu’s adherence to Emperor Huizong’s slender gold is evident in his inscription on Narcissus and Rock, where the uniformity of the line thickness and the angularity of the corners are pronounced. His narcissus suggests the influence of Zhao Mengjian (1199-1264), with sinuous leaves twisting and bending gracefully.