A brief discussion on the characteristics of Su Shi's calligraphy
Su Shi (1037-1101), also known as Zizhan and Hezhong, also known as "Dongpo Jushi", lived in Meishan, Meizhou (now Sichuan). Meizhou) was a famous writer, calligrapher and painter in the Song Dynasty (Northern Song Dynasty). He, his father Su Xun, and his younger brother Su Zhe are both famous for their literature, and are known as the "Three Sus" in the world; Su Shi is collectively known as Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan in the Tang Dynasty, and Ouyang Xiu, Su Xun, Su Zhe, Wang Anshi, and Zeng Gong in the Song Dynasty. "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties".
Su Shi was also good at running and regular script, and together with Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang, he was known as the calligrapher who best represented the achievements of calligraphy in the Song Dynasty, and they were collectively known as the "Four Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty". "Huangzhou Cold Food Poems" is the most wonderful representative work of Su Shi's surviving works, and was praised by later generations as "the third running script in the world". Huang Tingjian said in "Valley Collection": "Those who are good at calligraphy in this dynasty should naturally recommend (Su) as the first."
There are many people who study Su Shi's poems, prose, and even life stories. The huge halo of a writer is so dazzling that people cannot see clearly how brilliant he is as a calligrapher. There is not much research on Su Shi's calligraphy today. The author took the liberty of trying it out.
1. Characteristics of Su Shi’s calligraphy
1. The ink is rich and plump. Su Shi's calligraphy gives people the first impression of plumpness. Thin gold calligraphy is famous for its thinness, but Su Shi's calligraphy regards fatness as its beauty. Of course, everyone has different preferences in whether they are fat or thin. Some people like Su Shi's calligraphy at first sight, while others have a bad impression of Su Shi's calligraphy at first sight. Zhao Mengfu once commented on Su Shi's calligraphy as "a black bear is in power, and it is terrifying." Huang Tingjian also believed that Su Shi's calligraphy used too much ink. Because of this, in Su Shi's calligraphy, it is rare to see dry brushes and white flies, but the words are plump and plump. All of Su Shi's works have this characteristic. Such as "Teacher Biancai's Post" and "Tie with Mr. Dong". .
2. The knot is flat. Contrary to the slender shape of the Ou style, the knotted characters in Su Shi's calligraphy are mostly flat. This feature is prominently reflected in his works such as "Red Cliff Ode" and "Dongting Spring Ode".
3. Light horizontally and heavy vertically. This fully shows that Su Shi's calligraphy was obviously influenced by Yan style. This feature of calligraphy is clearly reflected in his work "Returning to Lai Xi Ci".
4. Stretch the strokes. Anyone who has studied Huang Tingjian's calligraphy has a deep understanding of the stretching of the brushstrokes in his calligraphy. Huang Tingjian was once a student of Su Shi and was known as one of the "Four Scholars of the Su School". The two had a close personal relationship, and many of Su Shi's rumors and interesting stories were related to Huang Tingjian. Therefore, Su Shi's calligraphy should have an influence on Huang Tingjian. Where is this impact reflected? Studying Su Shi's calligraphy and Huang Tingjian's calligraphy, it is not difficult to find that there is one thing in common in the writing of the strokes and even the knots, that is, they are both stretched.
5. The importance is scattered. Staggered light and heavy mainly refers to Su Shi's calligraphy, especially running script, where the strokes often appear to be light and heavy between characters, resulting in a rhythmic arrangement of large and small fonts. For example, in "Wuchang Xishan Poems", the sentence "But the setting sun is low and the yellow dust is low" is one large and one small, well-proportioned. Sometimes a few words are heavy, a few words are light, and the combination of light and heavy also gives people a strong sense of rhythm. For example, in "A Reply to Qian Mufu's Poems", "I borrow your wise words to write about your beauty, but I can't play the organ by myself." The word "borrow" is heavy and the word "miao" is light; the word "yu write spring" is three words and the word "rongzi" is light; the word "gu feng" is two words heavy and the word "qinbucheng" is light and the word "nong" is light The words become heavier again.
6. Great disparity in size. The weight of the pen and the size of the font are almost a major feature of many famous calligraphy. However, in the same work, Su Shi's calligraphy can be said to be unique in that there is a huge difference in font size. For example, in "Han Shi Tie", there are three words: "cry Tu Qiong". These three characters occupy a larger proportion than the five characters in the previous line. This disparity in the size of the fonts gives people a strong visual impact, and actually expresses a strong emotion during the writing process at that time. This situation is also reflected in "Wuchang Xishan Poems".
7. Charming and innocent. Huang Tingjian said in "Books with Jingdao Shijun" that "Hanlin Su Zizhan's calligraphy is beautiful, although the ink used is too rich, but there is more than enough rhyme". This kind of graceful charm makes people look natural and frank, even innocent and sincere, without any crazy or artificial meaning. Coupled with the plump ink and flat knots, it is like looking at a noble lady who is honest and virtuous. She does not feel unfamiliar when looking at her, but instead feels a sense of closeness and warmth. When I was 13 years old, I was in junior high school. The school issued a copybook for middle school students, with partial appreciation of some famous works attached at the end. Among them are several lines of Su Shi's "Red Cliff Ode".
Among the works of many famous artists, Su Shi's works alone give me such a unique feeling. I still remember the sentence in his poem: "The guest said that the moon and stars are sparse, and the black magpie flies south. Isn't this a poem by Cao Mengde?" It left a deep impression on me of being charming and innocent, kind-hearted and sincere, but I can no longer remember which other work is included in the appendix.
2. The origin of Su Shi's calligraphy
Su Shi himself said, "I can't create my own calligraphy"; he also said, "I come up with new ideas and do not follow the ancients."
Su Shi claimed that his calligraphy was impossible, but in fact he did not throw away the rules. He also paid attention to methods, but that method was different from the method of the Tang Dynasty. Su Shi said that he did not practice the ancients, which does not mean that he did not learn from the ancients. At least, his calligraphy was influenced by Yan Zhenqing. The characteristics of the Yan body are that it is light horizontally and heavy vertically, with silkworm head, swallow tail and nail head hook. It's just that Su Shi didn't accept everything, but absorbed its characteristics of horizontal lightness and vertical weight. In fact, he also admired Yan Zhenqing. When he made an overall evaluation of Chinese traditional culture, he said, "The poetry is as good as Du Zimei's, the writing is as good as Han Tuizhi's, the writing is as good as Yan Lugong, and the painting is as good as Wu Daozi. The changes in ancient and modern times have been completed, and the world is capable of doing things." This means that he believes that Du Fu's poems, Han Yu's prose, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy, and Wu Daozi's paintings are perfect and beautiful. If they can reach their level, all the things that can be done in the world will stop there.
Su Shi obviously learned from many famous artists. Some people say that he studied famous masters of Jin, Tang and Five Dynasties, and gained his own influence from Wang Sengqian, Li Yong, Xu Hao, Yan Zhenqing and Yang Ningshi, and became his own family.
Su Shi's calligraphy drew nutrients from Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy, as mentioned before. As for what nutrients his calligraphy has absorbed from the calligraphy of Wang Sengqian, Li Yong, Xu Hao, and Yang Ningshi, the author has not made comparisons and dare not make false claims.
3. The reasons for the formation of Su Shi’s calligraphy style
Throughout the ages, countless people have studied the calligraphy of ancient people. Since everyone has different preferences, when they are transformed into their own characters, they will inevitably have their own personal color, which forms their own calligraphy style. Although Su Shi's calligraphy drew nutrients from the ancients, after all, his calligraphy is still unique. Where did the formation of this style come from?
I think that to study Su Shi’s calligraphy style, we must study Su Shi himself. The so-called words are like the people they are. Basically, what kind of person should be and what kind of words should be written. Of course, we can also study the person he was from the words he wrote, and even his mood at the time when he wrote the book.
1. Su Shi’s calligraphy style is related to his profound humanistic accomplishment.
Su Shi is one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties. As a great litterateur of his generation, he wrote very well in poems, prose, songs, calligraphy, and paintings. Especially in terms of Ci, he liberated Ci from the vassal status of poetry and created the Bold School, making Song Ci one of the three peaks in the history of Chinese literature alongside Tang poetry and Yuan opera. His paintings created the theoretical basis of freehand painting. It should be said that as an "all-rounder" encyclopedic figure, Su Shi was the only one among the eight great masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties. In Chinese history, it is difficult to find another person who can compare with him.
In "Ying Sha Mi Tie", after Su Shi saw Ying Sha Mi's calligraphy, he sighed like this: "I can no longer just use poems and calligraphy to draw the period." On the other hand, Su Shi once wrote about Ying Sha Mi's calligraphy. He thinks very highly of his own poems, calligraphy and paintings.
A person who is extremely talented and thinks highly of his own poems, calligraphy and paintings is naturally a bit arrogant. On the positive side, if you become more knowledgeable and knowledgeable, your taste and realm will also be higher, and calligraphy and painting will no longer be regarded as such a big deal. In Su Shi's eyes, composition, writing, and painting are just expressions and expressions, and they only seek to be natural. Because of this, Su Shi "can write without asking for promotion; he is good at painting without asking for sales. Writing is just to express my ideas, and he does not ask for sales, so it comes naturally." "I asked you how you would like to write my truth, and you will be able to talk to me if you like it." "The joy of all things is to please people, but not enough to move people, such as calligraphy and painting." It is revealed that as a scholar-official, Su Shi used calligraphy and painting as a carrier to express his feelings and pursued the expression of his own temperament.
Some people summarize it as "Shangyi". And distinguish it from the pre-Tang Dynasty calligraphy "Shangfa", that is, paying attention to legal regulations. Su Shi was also regarded as the leader of "Shangyi".
The author disagrees with this.
As we all know, in ancient times, the brush was the main writing tool. Writing, or calligraphy, was actually a carrier for expressing emotions. This is true of "Lanting Xu" and "Manuscript of Memorials to My Nephew".
Why is it said that calligraphy before the Tang Dynasty was "up to the law", but only after Su Shi in the Song Dynasty was it "up to the meaning"? I don't think so. It's just that Su Shi was both a great writer and a great calligrapher. From his perspective, he was the first to publicly speak out the characteristics of "shangyi" in calligraphy. It’s not that the “shangyi” of calligraphy started with Su Shi.
The reason why Su Shi's calligraphy is simple and thick, peaceful, dignified and graceful without being pretentious and eccentric, and is unique in the world of calligraphy, from a certain perspective, I think, is because of his profound humanities. Cultivation related. Because he was the only one who truly understood that calligraphy should be a tool for expressing expressions. If you understand this, you can understand why the works left by Su Shi are mainly letters and impromptu poems, but he rarely deliberately copied the poems of his predecessors and others. And because of this, through the calligraphy he left behind, the view of calligraphy he expounded is further verified, that is, "it does not seek to be sold, so it is natural."
Of course, this view is not necessarily Su Shi’s alone.
Some people say that the calligraphy style of literati and bureaucrats in the Song Dynasty was a major trend. The development trends of calligraphy at that time were either towards the free and elegant mentality of literati or bureaucrats, or towards the solemn and solemn style of bureaucracy. He also said that Su Shi tended to move in the direction of scholar-bureaucrats, and used this as an argument for "advocating the ideal". I thought that Su Shi was a scholar, but since he was 21 years old, he could be said to have been an official. Although his official career was bumpy, he could still be considered a bureaucrat. So, where will his writing style develop? Some people say that Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and others showed a typical literati mentality when it comes to calligraphy. The scholar-officials with profound education strive to break away from the use of calligraphy in order to better express their emotions and use their comprehensive artistic talents to be more Build your own morale well. Su Shi's comments such as "I didn't intend to make a good calligraphy at the beginning", "I can't create the original meaning of calligraphy", "I can only guess at random things", "There is no harm in looking at the appearance, so why not be beautiful on the wall" etc., to prove that Su Shi was advocating for the individual. Interesting atmosphere.
This view is not entirely true. Su Shi was a combination of literati and bureaucrats. For him, being a scholar and being a bureaucrat are integrated into one. There is no clear boundary between the two, so there is no choice between two trends. What he always insists on is expressing his ideas naturally. The reason why there are two trends is actually easy to understand. Due to etiquette, it is inconvenient for officials to write letters too freely, so the ink they leave appears rigid and solemn, which is common sense. The most typical one is Cai Xiang's "Xie Ci Yu Shu", which is written with great respect. Even for Su Shi, "Ying Sha Mi Tie" is a social reply, so it is relatively rigid in writing, and "Chibi Fu" is not flexible enough. Can this be used to conclude that Su Shi's calligraphy style tends to be dignified and solemn in a bureaucratic style? Of course not. Wouldn't it be absurd for later generations to draw two trends in the calligraphy world of the Song Dynasty from this?
2. Su Shi’s writing style is related to his inappropriate character.
The unique style of Su Shi's calligraphy is related to his personal personality.
What is Su Shi’s most outstanding personality? Out of place.
In an article introducing "Su Shi's Three Wives", there is a paragraph that reads:
Su Shi's third wife is called Wang Chaoyun, who was originally his The concubine was twenty-six years younger than Su Shi. When Su Shi was in the most difficult situation, Wang Chaoyun was always by his side. Wang Chaoyun was Su Shi's confidante. Su Shi wrote the most poems to Wang Chaoyun, calling her the "Goddess Vimalakirti". But unfortunately, Chaoyun died of illness before Su Shi eleven years after he was restored to health. After Chaoyun passed away, Su Shi remained a widower and never married again. In accordance with Chaoyun's last wish, Su Shi buried his late wife in the pine forest under the Great Sacred Pagoda of Qi Zen Temple at the south foot of Gushan Mountain in West Lake, Huizhou, and built a Liuru Pavilion beside the tomb to commemorate her. The couplet he wrote was "Untimely, only Chaoyun can Know me; I play ancient tunes alone, and I miss you even more every time it rains." There is a famous allusion in this couplet: "Dongpo retired from the court one day and finished eating. He felt his belly and walked slowly. Gu said to the waiter: "What do you think of this?" A maid suddenly said: "It's all articles. ', Poe didn't think so. Another person said: 'It's all about knowledge. >It was precisely because of Su Shi's untimeliness that his life was ups and downs and his officialdom was frustrated. First, Wang Anshi carried out the reform, and Su Shi opposed it, so he was not tolerated by the court; when the New Party forces collapsed, Sima Guang and others who opposed the reform came to power, and Su Shi was recalled and re-employed, Su Shi couldn't bear to see the emerging forces desperately suppressing the figures in Wang Anshi's group and abolishing the new law. , again opposing the new party.
At this point, he could neither be tolerated by the new party nor forgiven by the old party. He was subsequently transferred and released to the outside world. When the New Party came to power again, he was demoted again.
Su Shi's anachronism is reflected in his calligraphy, which has formed some unique characteristics: others use moderate ink, but he uses extremely thick ink; others write squarely, but he seeks flatness; others write well-proportioned size , the size of his writing is very different; others pay attention to strict and solemn laws, he pays attention to casualness and naturalness; others pursue gorgeous and fashionable, he pursues simplicity and roughness. Some people say that Su Shi's way of holding a brush is also different. His way of holding a brush is similar to the way people hold pens today. There is no research on this.
He is so different. Yes, in his character, there is both the boldness and boldness of "the great river goes eastward, and the waves are gone, and he is a romantic figure through the ages"; there is also the boldness of "when the night comes and you have a dream, you suddenly return to your hometown. At the small xuan window, you are dressing up. Looking at each other speechless, only a thousand lines of tears "The elegance of "The old man was talking about being crazy as a teenager, holding a yellow hand on his left hand, holding a blue sky on his right hand, wearing a brocade hat and mink fur, riding thousands of horses on the hillock", but also the pride of "cooking cold vegetables in an empty kitchen, burning wet reeds in a broken stove". "The embarrassment of "I always regret that this body is not mine, when will I forget the camp? The wind is still in the night, the boat will pass away, and the rest of my life will be left in the river": there is also the epiphany of "the heart is like a gray tree, and the body is like a gray tree." If the boat is not tied to the boat, I will ask you about your life achievements, Huangzhou, Huizhou and Danzhou."
Aren’t these the same as his calligraphy?
3. Su Shi’s writing style is related to his rough life experience.
Huang Tingjian commented on Su Shi's calligraphy, "In his early years, he was very good at using the pen, but he was not as good as the elder who gradually became more natural"; he also said: "After arriving in Huangzhou, the pen was very powerful."
And Su Shi In his later years, he had the influence of overseas turbulence, and his knowledge, broadmindedness, and knowledge were all outstanding, and his life was full of ups and downs. His calligraphy style is full of ups and downs, innocent and vast, and you can imagine him as a person just by looking at his calligraphy. In other words, Su Shi's calligraphy was different in his early, middle and later years. The fundamental reason for this difference is that there have been too many changes in his life experience. In other words, Su Shi's writing style is closely related to his life experience.
Su Shi’s life was a rough one. This can be seen from his chronology.
1036 Su Shi is born; 1054 marries Wang Fu; 1057 becomes a Jinshi; mother is mourned; performs filial piety (1057.4-1059.6); 1059 family goes to Kyoto; 1061 serves as Fengxiang judge; 1064 serves in the History Museum (the first year of Emperor Yingzong's reign) --Four years (1064-1068)); 1065 Wife was mourned; 1066 Father was mourned; filial piety lasted for three years (1066.4-1068.7); 1068 Married Wang Runzhi; 1069 Returned to Beijing; served in the History Museum; 1071 Appointed as Supervisor; Appointed as Hangzhou General Magistrate; 1074 He was appointed as the prefect of Mizhou; in 1076, he was appointed as the prefect of Xuzhou. During this period, there were no major setbacks in his official career, but he was not reused either. It's just that family members passed away one after another, and it was just a bit of an emotional blow.
Since 1079, when he was appointed governor of Huzhou and was imprisoned for the "Wutai Poetry Case", Su Shi began his first round of troughs in life. He was imprisoned for more than 100 days and almost lost his life. 1080 Relegated to Huangzhou; 1084 Changzhou.
At this time, the new party in the court collapsed, and Su Shi's career took another turn for the better. 1085 He went to Dengzhou; he was appointed as the prefect of Dengzhou; he went to Kyoto; he was appointed as the secretary of Zhongshu; 1086 he was appointed as a Hanlin scholar to make imperial edicts; 1089 he was appointed as the prefect of Hangzhou and the commander of the Western Zhejiang Military Region; 1091 he was appointed as the official secretary; he went to Kyoto. But it is not easy to be a Beijing official, so he invites himself to be released. He was appointed as the prefect of Yingzhou; in 1092, he was appointed as the prefect of Yangzhou; Minister of the Ministry of War; Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
1093 Wife is mourned; the Queen Mother dies; the new party returns to power. Su Shi's career was in turmoil again. He began to be ostracized. First, he was appointed as the prefect of Dingzhou; in 1094, he was demoted to Huizhou; he was relegated to Huizhou; in 1097, he was moved to Hainan; and he was relegated to Danzhou, Hainan.
When someone in the court thought of him again and recalled him, it was already 1101. He began to return north; he went to Changzhou; he died soon after.
His life was full of ups and downs. Only after experiencing the baptism of these storms can we produce all kinds of passionate poems and calligraphy, which may be sad and angry, peaceful or joyful. This change of emotions formed with the fluctuations of life is not only reflected through his poetry, but also through his calligraphy.
And only through these experiences can we see life so thoroughly. When it is reflected in articles, it can be written with such boldness and profound insights; when it is reflected in calligraphy, it can be so rich, ups and downs, innocent and vast!