. 'The background for this work involves a friend of Shen Zhou, Zhao Mingyu, who did not have a beard. When Yao Cundao heard of this, he asked Shen to do this work and recruited Zhou Zongdao (who had a full beard) to help out in the hope that he could 'give' Zhao ten whiskers to make up for what he was lacking in terms of facial hair. Though called a 'commentary,' Shen Zhou's writing is full of comical humor, revealing a sense of close friendship among these literati. Though Shen Zhou makes a show of citing from classics to give the appearance of a serious composition, he transcribed it in la
. 'The background for this work involves a friend of Shen Zhou, Zhao Mingyu, who did not have a beard. When Yao Cundao heard of this, he asked Shen to do this work and recruited Zhou Zongdao (who had a full beard) to help out in the hope that he could 'give' Zhao ten whiskers to make up for what he was lacking in terms of facial hair. Though called a 'commentary,' Shen Zhou's writing is full of comical humor, revealing a sense of close friendship among these literati. Though Shen Zhou makes a show of citing from classics to give the appearance of a serious composition, he transcribed it in large running script, giving it a more informal quality. The brushwork here features dark and heavy strokes with the forms and momentum upright and strokes extending at an angle, the spirit exuding and reflecting much of the spirit harmony of Huang Tingjian's calligraphy. Though it appears on the surface to be similar to Huang Tingjian's style, the brushwork in the dots and strokes is more astringent and powerfully upright in Shen Zhou's own manner, making this a representative surviving example of Shen's large running script.' —National Palace Museum 「此作緣起於沈周友人趙鳴玉沒有鬍子，姚存道請沈周作此疏，向美髯公周宗道勸募求助，希望他可以分給趙鳴玉十莖鬍子，以補其不足。雖然名為疏文，內容卻是充滿詼諧與戲謔，顯露出這些文人間的幽默感與深厚交情。沈周除了煞有介事地引經據典大作文章外，還以精謹的大行書抄寫，令人讀來更加莞薾。此作用筆蒼勁沉著，體勢挺拔，線條屈伸有致，精神換發，深得黃庭堅書法神韻。外觀雖近黃庭堅，然點畫用筆更加遲澀挺勁，自成一格，為沈周大行書之傳世代表作。」 —國立故宮博物院 Commentary on Growing a Beard ???. Ming dynasty. Commentary on Growing a Beard by Shen Zhou
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