Liu Gongquan’s honest words and the influence of his tools.
Liu Gongquan's use of soft-haired long-edged brushes had a certain influence on the Qing Dynasty. Liu Gongquan's "Xie Renhui's Notes" says: "I send my pen to Mongolia because I have deep feelings for you. Although the hair tube is very good, the front edge is too short, which hurts the strength. If you want to be soft, the front edge must be long, and the hair tube must be thin. It doesn't matter if it's big, the side cuts must be neat. If the brushwork is neat, the movement will be effortless. If the fineness is fine, the stippling will be flawless. If the edge is long, the brushwork will be smooth and free. A few years ago, I had a calligraphy practice by Shuzhou Qing, who gave me guidance and guidance. Later, there was an elder named Guan Xiaofeng, and he hoped that one or two brushes would be very good." Mr. Cao Jian pointed out: "The brush used by Liu Gongquan has the following five characteristics: soft hair, long edge, neat hair, thin hair, and small tube. To sum up, it is a thin-tube, long-edged, soft-pointed pen that is closely related to the precision and slowness of willow style pointillism." "On Calligraphy with Zhang Shutang" says: "Liu Gongyun's heart is correct and his pen is correct, and he should not read Taoism and learn to speak. It is because he has to control it carefully and use a soft pen." "The mind is correct and the pen is correct. Most of the predecessors used Taoism as an explanation, but I think otherwise. As long as you use very soft hair, you will not be afraid of being incorrect when putting down the paper, and you will not be afraid of not paying attention to it. The trouble of superficiality and trance will naturally be calm." Liang Tongshu put his mind to it. Zhengbizheng is associated with the use of soft brushes. Some scholars pointed out that the brushes used by Liu Gongquan, the proposer of the theory of Xinzhengbizheng, were mostly long-edge soft brushes. This is consistent with the view put forward by Liang Tongshu. In practice, we also have this experience. The soft brush strokes are easier to adjust to the center, and the strokes are more suitable for expressing round strokes.
Liu Gongquan (778-865), courtesy name Chengxuan, was a native of Jingzhaohua in the Tang Dynasty. He rose to the rank of crown prince and grand master, and was known as "Liu Shaoshi" in the world. Since he was also named the Duke of Hedong County by the emperor, later generations also called him "Liu Hedong". He was the successor of Yan Zhenqing. Later generations called them "Yan Liu" and became a model of calligraphy in the past dynasties. Together with Zhao Mengfu, Yan Zhenqing and Ouyang Xun, they are collectively known as the "Four Great Calligraphers".