You’re looking at a set of six handwritten poem drafts by the Ming-dynasty calligrapher Wang Duo. His brushwork is powerful yet fluid. The lines move in circles and turns, as if pushed by wind and rain. Some strokes grow heavy, others lighten suddenly; dots and dashes stretch like crab claws, full of tension. Across the pages, large characters serve as anchors, connecting the whole composition in rhythm and flow. If you look closely, you can see small corrections and layers of darker and lighter ink. These show Wang Duo’s energy and spontaneity—he was writing quickly, almost in one breath. In this piece, poetry and calligraphy become one. Each word is both verse and movement, revealing his bold spirit and emotional freedom. For later generations, Wang Duo became a model of writing that is alive, expressive, and completely his own.
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