Mozhuji 墨竹記

Mozhuji 墨竹記, full title Zhang Tuigong mozhu ji 張退公墨竹記, is a book on painting written during the Yuan period 元 (1279-1368) by Zhang Tuigong 張退公. It was first recorded in Zhan Jingyuan's 詹景鳳 (1532-1602) book Wangshi shuhua yuan buyi 王氏書畫苑補益, a continuation of Wang Shizhen's 王世貞 (1526-1590) Shuhuayuan 書畫苑.

The book's main purpose is to teach the techniques of painting bamboo. The language is concise and refined, mostly composed of experiential insights, and is quite thought-provoking. What Zhang Tuigong expounds mostly consists of techniques for painting bamboo that were distilled by earlier masters, along with important precautions to observe; the author is simply summarising them. It begins by recounting the origins of the tradition of bamboo painting, attributing its inception to Emperor Xuanzong 唐玄宗 (r. 712-755) of the Tang dynasty 唐 (618-907). The style was passed down to the Tang painter Xiao Yue 蕭悦, who, upon glimpsing the shadow of bamboo by chance, suddenly understood its essence. He carefully studied it and developed a series of fundamental ink bamboo painting methods.

The essay then explains how bamboo appears differently depending on the season and weather. It goes on to detail the do's and don'ts of painting leaves, branches, and stalks, as well as the consequences of violating these principles. The points are well organized, clear, and concise. Finally, it describes the mysteries of masterful works and common methods of ink bamboo painting with subtle detail yet without verbosity, offering true practical wisdom. These descriptions are vivid and accessible, making the techniques easy to understand and quite practical.

Although this essay primarily serves as a manual on technique, it does not content itself with mere resemblance in form. Rather, it emphasises that ink bamboo must express a sense of artistic conception (yijing 意境) and convey personal sentiment, that is, it must embody the profound subtlety inherent in literati painting. The author believes that ink bamboo should be able to "stir the lyrical spirit of refined scholars and inspire the poetic verses of poets". If one fails to grasp its essence, then one will be unable to capture its meaning. Truly original and exceptional works, the author says, must break free from conventional patterns

In sum, this essay is intended as a guide to the proper path and provides considerable assistance to those learning to paint ink bamboo. However, it was long buried and rarely seen by the public. During the Qing period 清 (1644-1911), the bibliophile Qian Zeng 錢曾 (1629-1701) wrote the Dushu minqiu ji 讀書敏求記, in which he discusses various accounts of the origin of bamboo painting. However, he makes no mention of this essay or the story relating to Emperor Xuanzong, showing just how rare and overlooked Zhang's book has been. Apart from the Wangshi shuhua yuan 王氏書畫苑, it is included in the series Meishu congshu 美術叢書.