In traditional Chinese literati culture, calligraphy enjoyed elevated status as a higher art form than painting. In fact, a firm grounding in the study of calligraphy was considered necessary to mastering the brush techniques of painting. In the late Ming dynasty, calligraphy had become an important means of personal expression and individualists such as Zhang Ruitu developed their own unique styles.

A senior government official from Jinjiang, Fujian province, Zhang Ruitu became admired for his eccentric approach to draft-cursive calligraphy (zhangcao) in which the vertical lines are spaced widely apart, but the individual characters are stacked closely together. The strokes of the each character present a spiky, angular appearance that is a hallmark of Zhang’s style.