Mi Fu

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Mi Fu
Mi Fu as depicted in a 1107 painting by Chao Buzhi
Chinese name
Chinese	米芾
Traditional Chinese	米芾
Simplified Chinese	米芾
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mǐ Fú Wade–Giles Mi Fu Yue: Cantonese Jyutping Mei5 Fat1 Middle Chinese Middle Chinese MieiB Pjwǝt
Korean name
Hangul	미불
Transcriptions McCune–Reischauer Mi Bul
Japanese name
Hiragana	べいふつ
Transcriptions Romanization Bei Futsu

Mi Fu (Chinese: 米芾; 1051–1107)^[1] was a Chinese painter, poet, calligrapher, and art theorist during the Early Song Dynasty. Born in Taiyuan, he was known for his misty landscape paintings, which employed broad, wet ink dots applied with a flat brush. This technique, later known as the "Mi Fu Style", significantly influenced Chinese painting. His poetry and calligraphy was inspired by Li Bai, and Wang Xizhi respectively.^[2]

Mi Fu is considered one of the four most influential calligraphers of the Song dynasty, along with Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, and Cai Xiang. His major works include Zhang Jiming Tie (張季明帖), Li Taishi Tie (李太師帖), Zijin Yan Tie (紫金研帖), and Danmo Qiushan Shitie (淡墨秋山詩帖). Among these, Shu Su Tie (蜀素帖), also known as Nigu Shitie (擬古詩帖), is an important work in running script calligraphy. Mi Fu described his calligraphy as "a collection of ancient characters", indicating his style was rooted in tradition, yet he developed distinctive features. His artistic style was also adopted by his son, Mi Youren, who became known for interpreting his father's techniques, particularly the use of large, wet ink dots, known as "Mi Dots".^[3]

Beyond his artistic achievements, Mi Fu was known for his eccentricity and fastidiousness.^[3] His fascination with collecting unusual stones was a distinctive trait, contributing to his epithet "Madman Mi". Later biographical accounts mention his occasional indulgence in wine.