Du Fu's poem in cursive script

During the Ming period, members of the elite who gained fame for their calligraphy were often equally famous for their achievements in painting. Within elite society, calligraphy was equally admired as painting. It was viewed as quintessential yet functional, rather than as merely an independent visual art form or means of self-expression and cultivation. Many artists in the Ming dynasty were not only good at painting, but also excelled in composing poems and calligraphy. These three arts are known as the sanjue, or the “Three Perfections.” Both Wen Zhengming and Zhu Yunming are regarded as great masters with skills of the “Three Perfections.”