In China the pictographic elements in the script and the sensitive flexibility of the writing brush have made calligraphy a key component of its painting. Tradition claims the chief exponent of the fusion of painting and calligraphy was expressed in the work of Wú Dàoxuán, generally known as Wú Dàozî (fl. c.700-755) of the Táng dynasty’s golden age. Wú was known particularly for his vigorous renditions of demons and rushing waters of mountainous landscape. It seems he combined vibrancy of flowing line with an intuitive grasp of three-dimensional space. His originals may be lost, but I try to demonstrate how his style can to some extent be reconstructed from that of his followers and imitators.
