Yu Youren: Water on the Petal
Yu Youren: Water on the Petal
Yu Youren: Water on the Petal presents a rare and tender perspective on the life and work of Yu Youren (1879–1964), a towering figure in modern Chinese calligraphy. Best known for his powerful brushstrokes and monumental works that echo with historical and political gravity, Yu is here revealed in a quieter light—one grounded in home, family, and personal reflection.
Drawn entirely from the private collection of his grandson, Victor Yu (Ph.D. ’68), a University of Maryland alumnus, these works are intimate expressions of a father’s care and a family man’s enduring hopes. Far from the bold declarations of public life, these calligraphic pieces speak in softer tones: measured, affectionate, and quietly profound.
The exhibition’s title, Water on the Petal, is inspired by a handwritten note Yu added to one of his works. Referring to a faint moisture mark on the character 花 (huā, meaning “flower”), he wrote:
右又及：花之上水痕我之汗也
Yòu yòu jí: huā zhī shàng shuǐ hén wǒ zhī hàn yě
“Marginal note: The water mark on the character hua is my sweat.”
At first glance, the note is modest—a remark on a minor imperfection. But read more deeply, it becomes a poignant metaphor. The “sweat” he refers to is not just physical effort, but the emotional and spiritual labor of nurturing something fragile and beautiful—like a flower, or a family.
Here, Yu’s brush does not proclaim; it nurtures. In every character, we see not only artistic mastery, but the quiet legacy of a man who, even at the height of public achievement, never lost sight of the private world he cherished most.
Whether you are newly discovering Yu Youren or have long admired his work, Water on the Petal invites you to see not just the calligrapher—but the man, the father, the human being—behind the ink.