However, history always advances in the negation of negation. When the distinctive cursive and regular script art developed to the extreme in Zhang Xu, Huai Su, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan and others in the Tang Dynasty, a wind of "emphasizing meaning" gradually enveloped the book circle in the Song Dynasty. The art of running script has also risen again, with four great calligraphers, Su, Huang, Mi and Cai. At that time, Xi Zhi, Su, Huang, Mi, Cai and others also had different styles and behaviors. Pursuing "respect" is not good at strength and rules, but winning with image and interests. Su, Huang, Mi Zhu and Cai could not continue to follow Wang Xizhi's Wei and Jin demeanor. But in terms of aesthetic ideal and aesthetic taste, we should change our ways and find another way.
Since the Yuan Dynasty, some people have compared Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fei and Cai Xiang and called them "Song Sijia". In the Ming Dynasty, some people objected that it was illogical for Cai Xiang to be ahead of the other three, but he came last. It is suspected that the latter among "Su, Huang, Mi and Cai" should be Cai Jing rather than Cai Xiang at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, and it is inferred that later generations hated Cai as a treacherous and famous minister, so they went to Beijing to change careers, which led to time disorder. Although this view can make sense, it does not conform to the logic of the development of calligraphy in the Northern Song Dynasty. Cai Jing's achievements in calligraphy are not low, but in terms of its pioneering work, it is far from comparable to Cai Xiang. Not only later Huang Tingjian, Zhang Bangji, Zhu Bian, Wang, Li Dongyang, Wang Shizhen and others all praised Cai Xiang's works, but even Su Shi called it "the first in this dynasty". More likely, because later generations considered Su Shi's lofty position in the literary world, they changed the order of the four schools.
Cai Xiang was a scholar in the period of Injong, and once served as a bachelor of Hanlin. His regular script is solemn and rigorous, and won the reputation of Yan Zhenqing in the Tang Dynasty, while his running script is chic and simple, inheriting the meaning of Yang Ningshi in the Five Dynasties. He is a turning point in the history of calligraphy. In his creative attitude, Cai Xiang also showed the dual character of "emphasizing law" and "emphasizing meaning". It is said that when he wrote Tang Jinji, he not only strictly abided by the statutes of his predecessors, but also wrote every word dozens of times, choosing the best and using it, which is called "piecing together the tablet", which can be described as rigorous to the extent of formality; But in daily life, he often shows a kind of interest and vitality inadvertently, which is exactly what the Song people want to carry forward and admire. There are many books handed down from generation to generation in Cai Xiang, such as Tea Notes, Peony Spectrum, Cold Cicadas, etc., as well as running script works such as Chief Notes of Du, Notes of Shen Tao, Notes of Wild Goose, Notes of Attendants, Notes of Cheng Xintang Paper, Notes of Books and Poems Written by Self. Two very different styles. It is not difficult to see his artistic course from "attaching importance to law" in Tang Dynasty to "respecting meaning" in Song Dynasty.
As a literary leader in the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Shi is not only a famous writer, painter, but also a famous calligrapher. He studied Xu Hao and Liu Gongquan in his early years, and Yan Zhenqing and Yang Ningshi in his middle age, so he also had a transformation process from "emphasizing law" to "respecting meaning". In terms of creative motivation, Su Shi thinks that calligraphy, like painting, is only a natural expression of literati's cultivation, and there is no need to do it deliberately. As the saying goes, "It's not enough to pay back a mountain of pens, but to understand the spirit after reading thousands of books" (Liu Er's nephew asks for a book), he thinks that the important thing in writing is not skill, but cultural accomplishment. He even thinks that "the mouth will forget the sound before speaking." Only by entering the free state of forgetting me can we inadvertently mobilize all cultural accumulation and create charming works. In terms of creative methods, Su Shi opposes Chen Xiangyin, abides by the law of death, and advocates that "innovation lies in statutes, and mystery lies outside the uninhibited" (after Wu Daozi painted). Only by understanding the law and not sticking to the rules can we innovate and develop. To this end, he said to himself, "Although my book is not very good, it is eager for quick success and instant benefit to create new ideas without practicing the ancients" ("Cursive Commentary"). In terms of creative style, Su Shi believes that the beauty of calligraphy is neither work nor wonder, but just "innocence". The so-called "short, long, fat, barren, each has its own realm, who dares to hate Yuhuan Yan Fei?" ("Sun Xin's Poems Seeking Mo Miao Pavilion") In creative practice, Su Shi is good at writing and running script. On the basis of predecessors, he created a vigorous, powerful and beautiful unique style. The so-called "beauty is beauty, but it is oval." Dignified and beautiful, vigorous and graceful (On Harmony). Su Shi's works today mainly include Huangzhou Cold Food Sticker, Annual Exhibition Sticker, Qianchibi Fu, Paper Sticker for Worshiping Folk Teachers, and Several Articles in Sacrifice to Yellow. Stone carvings include Zuiweng Pavilion, Fengle Pavilion, Zhongyi Guanbei and Liuzhou Luosi Temple Monument. At first glance, these works are flat and wide, and their sides are inclined, which is not very standardized. You can put them in the whole word and savor them carefully, and you will find them so vivid, flexible, fresh and natural and full of personality. It is precisely because of the above-mentioned series of theoretical and practical contributions that Su Shi is not only among the best in Song Sijia, but also truly established the aesthetic tendency of "Song Shu Shang Yi".
Huang Tingjian was once under Su Shi with Qin Guan, Chao, and was called "Four Bachelor of Su Men". In calligraphy, he first studied under Zhou Yue in Song Dynasty, and was influenced by Yan Zhenqing, Huai Su, Yang Ningshi and others, especially Su Shi. Su Like Shi and Huang Tingjian also attach great importance to calligraphers' knowledge and accomplishment, and think that "a book is better than Li Xitai because it has thousands of books in its chest and doesn't follow the world" (posted by Zhou Zi). Su Like Shi and Huang Tingjian also attach great importance to the character and personality of literati, and think that "a mountain and a valley must have its chest, but it is only between pens?" ("Seven Talented Persons") "If there is no trip to Fuling, even if the pen and ink are not reduced, it is just the ears of the laity" ("The book is a volume"). In Su Like's poems, Huang Tingjian also opposed the rut, advocated giving full play to his personality, advocated "self-harmony without worrying about breaking the rope" (after Li Bai's poems), and thought that "it is realistic to seek a family with others" (after Yue Yi's comments). Along the road initiated by Su Shi, Huang Tingjian further subverted the laws and regulations of the Tang Dynasty. In terms of font structure, unlike Su Shi, he is not famous for his vivid expression, but for shrinking the middle palace, spreading the four sides, and even using displacement to break through the boundaries between words. In the way of using pen, he is not a stone that wins by fun, but is good at creating an old and heroic charm with exaggerated, vigorous and profound long pen, forming his own unique ups and downs style. Today, Huang Tingjian has a large number of books, such as Poems and Postscripts on Cold Food in Huangzhou, Poems Written by Fu Bo, Song Fengge and so on. , while the lower case includes the epitaph of Fang and Wang, and the epitaph of Mrding. Cursive scripts include Li Bai's Memories of Time Past and Liu Fengge. Reading Huang Tingjian's handwriting is the same as reading his poems, and there is a feeling of "turning stone into gold" and "robbing a fetus to change bones".
Mi Fei is the only scholar in Song Sijia, but from his paintings and calligraphy, we can see that he also has a high cultural accomplishment. Mi Fei learned books from a wide range of sources, from the Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Sui and Tang Dynasties, including inscriptions on Zhong Ding and bamboo slips. But he studied ancient times rather than mud, and dared to doubt or even criticize the object of his study. Mi Fei studied Liu Gongquan, but said he was the "father of ugliness". Mi Fei followed Yan Zhenqing's example, but only affirmed that his running script was "really vulgar". There may be three reasons for this phenomenon: first, Mi Fei's bold personality; second, the change of Mi Fei's calligraphy style; third, by the late Northern Song Dynasty when Mi Fei lived, the "Shang Yi" Song people seemed to be more emboldened; You don't have to worship in front of the "witness" of your predecessors. Mi Fei's calligraphy works handed down from generation to generation are rich, including Elegy of Empress Dowager Cixi, Shu Su Tie, Tiaoxi Iron Stone, Zhong Baiyue Ming Tie, Hongxian History Volume, etc., as well as cursive scripts such as Jiutie and Tieshi of Duojing Building. In Song Sijia, Mi Fei's brushwork changed the most and his style was the most comprehensive. He is good at taking the strengths of many families and turning them into his own use, which is called "collecting ancient Chinese characters". In his Shu Su Tie, we can see Su Shi's elegance. In his Poems of Hong Xian, it is not difficult to find Huang Tingjian's self-serious attitude.
In this sense, Mi Fei can be described as a master of calligraphy in the Northern Song Dynasty. Therefore, Dong Qichang of later generations "thought that the Song Dynasty was the first, after all, it was above Dongpo". On the whole, whether it's truth, animal, grass or seal script, Mi Fei can give priority to meaning and get the interest of heaven and earth. As Song Gaozong said in Mo Hanzhi: "With the pen and ink of the Six Dynasties, at the end of the pen, it is enjoyable, such as riding a good horse, advancing and retreating without bothering the whip, not unreasonable." In this sense, the aesthetic tendency of calligraphy in the Song Dynasty is not only a denial of the laws and regulations in the Tang Dynasty, but also a return to the spirit of the Six Dynasties at a higher level. As far as the achievements of calligraphy creation are concerned, it cannot be said that "Song Sijia" has surpassed the level of "two kings" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. But after all, it shows a richer subjective personality and more diverse creative possibilities, such as Qifeng Li Xiu, which brings us a unique aesthetic feeling.