Yu Youren, born in Sanyuan, Shaanxi Province, is a famous writer, educator and calligrapher in modern China. Its original name is Boxun, and its character is alluring. Later, it is named after “alluring” and homophonic “Youren”; In his later years, he was also known as “Taiping old man”. Modern Chinese calligrapher, founder of Fudan University, Shanghai University, national northwest agriculture and Forestry College (now northwest agriculture and Forestry University)

Yu Youren’s calligraphy in the Northern Wei Dynasty regular script into the running script and official script, it can be said that the integration of stele in a furnace, forming his unique calligraphy. Especially in his later years, his cursive script has reached a state of perfection. It’s very dangerous and has no resemblance. In his works, he melts the cursive script into Zhang Cao, Jin Cao and Kuang Cao, which is majestic, natural and unrestrained, simple and plain, and gives people a sense of beauty. Based on the principle of “easy to read, easy to write, accurate and beautiful”, he systematically sorted out the ancient cursive script, selected the standard characters from the numerous works of famous calligraphers, and integrated the standard cursive script. It has become a great creation in the study of philology and a new peak in the development history of cursive script. It is known as “modern cursive sage”, “modern calligrapher” and “one of the three milestones in the history of Chinese calligraphy”

Lin Yutang once commented on Yu Youren and said: “among the contemporary calligraphers, Yu Youren is the best model in terms of character and calligraphy. His status today depends partly on his calligraphy fame.” However, Yu Youren was not proud or extravagant in his life because he was famous at home and abroad. After Yu Youren’s death, “vice president of the supervisory yuan” Li Sicong, “secretary general” Jia Shuo, “legislator” Cheng cangbo, and Yu Wangde, Yu’s eldest son, went to find Yu Youren’s will, but it disappeared. When he opened his safe, people were shocked: there was no treasure or stock in the safe, most of which were important diaries and letters; The draft of the loan slip issued for the third young master Yu Zhongling to raise travel expenses for studying abroad, as well as the bill of tens of thousands of Yuan borrowed from the adjutant song Zicai at ordinary times; And the cloth shoes and socks that his wife Gao Zhonglin sewed for him in his early years. After the mystery of the iron box was solved, people praised: “you old legacy, only bills, honest self suffering, the model of the elder.”《 Chen Zuhua, editor-in-chief of Europe daily, wrote that “the Qing Dynasty is a typical example of the past.”

In recent years, the art market has set off a wave of upsurge in collecting famous artists in the early Republic of China. After experiencing the high point of “commemorating the centennial of 1911” in 2011, the overall market entered a period of adjustment in 2012 and 2013. However, the calligraphy works of modern celebrities such as Li Shutong, Yu Youren and Guo Moruo still frequently hit new heights. Some data show that from 1993 to March 20, 2003, Yu Youren’s personal calligraphy works were photographed 5359 times and sold 4771 times, with a total turnover of 529 million yuan. Judging from the Yachang art index, Yu Youren’s works have been on the rise since the fall of 2009. At the 2010 Spring Auction of China Jiade, Yu Youren’s calligraphy special performance had a total turnover of more than 45 million yuan

The popularity of Yu Youren’s calligraphy also depends on his special and historical background. It can be said that each of his works represents the witness of history, which not only has artistic value, but also condenses historical value. Judging from the shooting volume and turnover of Yu Youren’s calligraphy in recent ten years, with the deepening of our understanding of calligraphy, Yu Youren’s calligraphy also shows a steady growth trend. In addition, the market scarcity of the late artists determines that the price elasticity of the supply of his calligraphy and painting works is very small, even zero. Any increase in demand will eventually show up as a rise in price. Therefore, the market potential of Yu Youren’s calligraphy works is still great

In the collection and auction market, Yu Youren’s calligraphy has been regarded as the top quality and treasure. Even in the whole field of calligraphy, Yu Youren’s calligraphy works are very good in circulation and value-added, which can be called the “hard currency” in the calligraphy and painting market. Undoubtedly, it also gives collectors and investors great confidence. If you are interested in Youren’s calligraphy, you can visit Xi’an defengtang gallery




