Scott No: 1930-1937
Serial number: T98
Values in set: 8
Date of issue: August 27, 1984
Denomination: 132 fen
Designers: Wu Changshuo, Lu Tianjiao
Size of stamps: 25*60mm
Perforation: 11*11.5
Sheet composition: 40(10*4)
Printing process: Photogravure
Printing House: Beijing Postage Stamp Printing Works

T98 "Selected Works of Wu Changshuo" special stamps were issued on August 27, 1984. The set consists of 8 stamps, printed by photogravure, designed by Lu Tianjiao, with the original works by Wu Changshuo, and printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.

Theme of the Set

Wu Changshuo was a master of modern Shanghai-style art, excelling in the four arts of poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving. This set selects representative works from his later years, including calligraphy, seal carving, and freehand flower paintings, concentrating on presenting the distinctive style of his epigraphic brush-and-ink, letting the public feel Wu Changshuo's vigorous and profound artistic charm, and carrying forward the art of modern and contemporary literati painting, calligraphy, and seal carving.

Stamp Designs and Historical Background

Calligraphy

This is a seal-script work, with powerful and weighty brush strength and concise, antique lines—a typical appearance of Wu Changshuo's calligraphy.

Double Peaches

The image depicts ripe immortal peaches, with full fruit and concise brushwork. Peaches imply long-lasting good fortune and longevity and are a traditional auspicious subject.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus flowers are in full bloom, with flowers and leaves spread out and warm, gentle colors, fully displaying the lively posture of freehand flower painting.

Wisteria

The vines coil and hang down, and the flower clusters droop, with unrestrained and free brushwork, full of vitality.

Peony

The peonies are graceful and full, with rich and weighty coloring, painted with epigraphic brush methods—prosperous yet not vulgar.

Autumn Chrysanthemum

Autumn chrysanthemums bloom in defiance of frost, with sturdy stems and branches and a refined tone, carrying the literati integrity of braving the frost.

Plum Blossom

The old trunks are vigorous and gnarled, with sparse blossoms dotted about. It is the plum subject that Wu Changshuo was most skilled at, with a vast and antique flavor.

Seal Carving

This is a seal work by Wu Changshuo, with antique and weighty seal text and a dynamic arrangement, embodying his seal-carving attainments.

Artistic Design Features

The set adopts the traditional hanging-scroll mounting style, with a vertical, narrow stamp format and silk borders above and below, restoring the visual impression of a calligraphy-and-painting hanging scroll. The paintings use epigraphic methods in painting, with seasoned brushwork and a interplay of solid and void, integrating the brushwork and knife technique of calligraphy and seal carving into flower painting, with a powerful momentum. The complete set includes calligraphy, painting, and seals, completely presenting Wu Changshuo's artistic system. It is a classic masterpiece among JT famous-painting stamps.