Yan Zhenqing's era can be roughly divided into three sections. One is before the age of 45, called early age; The second stage is 45 to 60 years old, called metaphase, also known as maturity; The third period is from 60 to the end of life. During this period, people and books are getting old, which is called the later period, also called the peak period.
From Yan Zhenqing's birth to the age of 45, that is, in his early years, Yan Zhenqing and Li, Han Zemu became friends. At the age of 26, Yan Zhenqing was promoted to the first class. Yan Zhenqing's early achievements in calligraphy art have reached a high level, but we always demand him with history and are always too harsh, which is "immature" compared with his later calligraphy. Early calligraphy showed rigor, precision and delicacy, but it was also suspected of flattery. Works before the age of 45: "Records of Prince Taishi Guo Cemetery" presented by Shang Shu of the Tang Ministry of Industry; Guo Monument, Guo Yan Monument; Datang Xijing Qianfu Temple Pagoda Monument, etc.
Yan Zhenqing period, 45 to 60 years old, calligraphy entered a mature period. From the perspective of artistic age, calligraphy in the middle period accounted for almost 89% of Yan Zhenqing's entire artistic career. As the old saying goes, stand at thirty, be puzzled at forty, and know your destiny at fifty. As far as a person's ideological realm is concerned, Yan Zhenqing certainly had a better understanding of the art of calligraphy, the value of life and the cycle of the world at that age. Only in this way can his artistic achievements be established. In the middle period, Yan Zhenqing's personal energy was extremely vigorous, with rich connotation, both form and spirit, and his character and knowledge were very economical. The artistic value of this mature period is the most worthy of study and textual research.
At the age of 56, Yan Zhenqing pushed the regular script to a higher level, and his masterpiece "Guo Family Temple Monument" (764), also known as "Guo Jingzhi Family Temple Monument", was named "Guo Gong Temple Monument, which was given to Taibao by Tang Tai Yi". This tablet is meticulous, solemn and elegant in brushwork, smooth and bright in brushwork, vigorous and round, slightly bent inward in the left and right vertical strokes, spacious and spacious in the middle, rich and comfortable, full of vitality and charm, and is a typical work of calligraphy art in the middle and late period. In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Shu wrote this inscription, saying, "This book is similar to confessions from books, but it is better than confessions from books.
Dong Fangshuo Painting a Monument (754), the full name of which is Dr. Oriental Painting a Monument in Taichung, was written by Yan Zhenqing at the age of 46. The words are as big as a small bowl. It is worth noting that this monument has a seal script in Yang and a official script in Yin, which is delicate and beautiful, and is not under the many masters of seal script at that time. The writing of this monument coincides with Yan Zhenqing's youth and high spirits. His calligraphy has gained a certain reputation in the society. This tablet is full of ink, firm in stippling, healthy in vertical painting, regular in horizontal painting, even and decent, and healthy in Chinese style. It can be seen from all these that Yan Zhenqing has "vaguely" broken through the style of two kings in form and spirit, and has begun to show the bud of beauty with its magnificent and solid aesthetic characteristics. First, the pen looks awkward outside, and it feels awkward and elegant after repeated tastes; The second font tends to Fiona Fang, with strong visual impact, vulgar but not vulgar, good but not flattering, and the so-called clumsy and beautiful wind is also the beginning; Third, compared with Wang Zi's style, it depends on the lack of that kind of tenderness, but the pen is thick but not impetuous, and it begins to break the shelf of low left and high right.