Buddhist Teachings in Running Script《唐鹤徵手札合卷》

Sun Shenxing, also known as Wensi, Qi’ao, and Xuanyanzi, was a renowned politician of the Ming Dynasty from Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. He was recognized among the ten wise ministers during the Chongzhen period. Alongside his political career, Shenxing was also a skilled calligrapher, with his work on “Shen Duyi,” consisting of 100 chapters, being particularly famous.

Despite few remaining examples of his work, Shenxing’s eight-panel strip of Buddhist sayings is considered his masterpiece. To create it, he utilized a hard pen to draw vertical and horizontal strokes with a tight structure on both the top and bottom, left and right. His inspiration came from calligraphy styles ranging from Huangshan Valley to Li Beihai, which he combined with his own unique approach, using a combination of pen strokes, shades of ink, and ink astringency. With a strict and unique style that blended past traditions with new innovations, Shenxing left a lasting impression on the world of calligraphy.

孙慎行（1565~1636），字闻斯，号淇澳，又号玄晏子，江苏常州人，明代著名政治家，崇祯年间被尊为十大贤臣之一，著有《慎独义》百篇，擅长书法。
孙慎行的传世作品极少，他所书佛家语八屏条是孙慎行的力作，他用硬笔退笔，纵横痛快扫刷，采用了上松下紧，左右舒展的结体，从黄山谷到李北海的书法中得到启发，独辟蹊径，用笔的提按顿挫，墨色的浓淡枯涩，一任自然，形成法度严密，学古出新的独特风格。

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