Du Fu's Eight Immortals Indulged in Wine c. 17th century

Curator: Here we have a hanging scroll, "Du Fu’s Eight Immortals Indulged in Wine" by Kitajima Setsuzan, created around the 17th century. It's ink on paper and held at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It's an example of Japanese calligraphy inspired by a famous Tang Dynasty poet and his inebriated companions. Editor: Immediately, the striking black ink against the warm paper is so sensual, a stark embrace. I love the way the lines vary in thickness – some bold and confident, others thin and trembling as if the ink itself had a bit too much wine! Curator: It's meant to capture the ecstatic, untethered feeling associated with imbibing, especially amongst artists. Calligraphy itself was a meditative, almost spiritual, process for these creatives, a conduit to tap into something larger. The materiality reflects on the means to such spiritulality. Editor: True, the controlled abandon – such a lovely oxymoron! But really, this isn’t just ink flung haphazardly. Each stroke, each character, feels deeply considered. Knowing the materials – good quality paper, handmade ink – were likely costly, makes you wonder about patronage and access. Was this art for the elite? Curator: Most certainly. It would have been for someone who had access to ink, paper, a patron perhaps. And who valued the literati traditions connecting poetry, drinking, and art. It embodies a culture that embraced blurring the lines between creative genius and the freedom found in drink. What the elite found inspiration in! Editor: So, a potent cocktail, indeed. I wonder, too, about the calligrapher's hand – his labor, his breath, his very life woven into the lines. It makes the work deeply human, and that feeling of drunken pleasure tangible across the centuries. And perhaps now our labor too, in studying it together! Curator: Yes, a lasting communion over shared aesthetic passions, brought to us by those intoxicated immortals and crafted carefully. Editor: Precisely! There is an inherent beauty when artistry and history swirl together so intimately, I think it makes me want a drink...maybe that's the intended influence after all!