Wu Changshuo

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Wu Changshuo

Budda (佛像图), Wu Changshuo, National Art Museum of China, Beijing

Peonies and Daffodils (牡丹水仙图), Wu Changshuo, Jilin Provincial Museum

Wú Chāngshuò (1844-1927) is the name for which Wu Junqing is best known. He was born in Zhejiang from a scholarly family and for a time toward the end of the Qing he served as an official in Liaoning. He settled in Suzhou in his twenties. Initially, he devoted himself to poetry and calligraphy with a strong interest in early scripts. He also led a society of seal-carvers. Only later did he consider himself a painter associated with the "Shanghai school." As a painter, he was noted for helping to rejuvenate the art of painting flowers and birds. He considered carving seals and doing paintings to be integrated to each other. His work garnered him fame and was highly regarded in Japan.