Book sage Wang Xizhi (statue of Wang Xizhi in Linyi People's Square)
Wang Xizhi set the first milestone in the development of running script. "Wang Ti" calligraphy, cursive script is the strongest. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the evolution of China's calligraphy was completed, and truth, line and cursive script were all available. Wang Xizhi's main achievements and contributions were reflected in running script and cursive script. His running script opened a new chapter in the process of shaping, beautifying and perfecting it. He created a new body of "if broken, if connected, if oblique" and opened a new generation of wind. Colorful, natural and romantic, it is a typical Wei and Jin demeanor, which sets a good example for the creation of running script. His representative works include Preface to Lanting Collection, Ping An Tie, Tie menstruation, Kong, Tie Qing in the Snow, De Tie Shi and so on. They are all called "magic products" by later generations. His appearance is of great significance to the development of calligraphy art in China, and Wang Xizhi's calligraphy creation has been highly praised. Xiao Yan, Emperor Wu of A Liang, said: "The words in the book Xi are bold and free, like a dragon leaping into the sky and a tiger lying in a phoenix pavilion." Li Sizhen praised his cursive script "The breeze comes out of the sleeve and comes into my arms next month", which is a "sage of grass". Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong, spoke highly of Wang Xizhi. According to Zhang Yanyuan's Calligraphy, there are 3,600 original Xi works collected by Emperor Taizong. Emperor Taizong also personally wrote a biography for Wang Xizhi. Because Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has high aesthetic value and is highly respected by emperors, the hundreds of years from the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the early Tang Dynasty can be regarded as the era of "two kings" rule. People admire the Xihe River and try their best to imitate it, which can be regarded as the heyday. In particular, the Preface to Lanting, which shocked ancient and modern times, is known as the standard of running script, "the best running script in the world" and is a must-learn post for calligraphers. Its beautiful and vigorous brushwork, elegant and quiet posture and calm and peaceful atmosphere are far behind. Emperor Taizong loved the original preface to Lanting, admired it very much, and was buried with Zhaoling. Mi Fei, a great calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem praising: "Momo is the most romantic in ancient and modern times. Who doesn't appreciate the shade in the goose pond?" . This book has decayed to Zhaoling, and the stone carvings can still be worth thousands of dollars. "Today, we have the honor to see the preface to the Lanting Pavilion, only the copies of Chu Suiliang, Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan and Feng Chengsu in the early Tang Dynasty. The artistic value of Wang Xizhi's cursive script is also quite high, which is produced in the process of inheriting and sublating the cursive script reform of Cao Zhang and Zhang Zhi. Beautiful and vigorous, smooth lines, calm and comfortable, colorful, the so-called "between a painting, ups and downs in the peak; "In a little time, it was very frustrating."
Wang Xizhi is a great calligrapher. Wang Xizhi lived in the era of great changes in China's history, and his road to calligraphy was not smooth sailing. When describing the process of learning books, he said: "Yu Shaoxue's" Mrs. Wei's Book "will be big and will travel across the river to the north to visit famous mountains. He will read books such as Li Si and Cao Xi, then he will read books by Zhong You and Liang You, and then he will read Zhang Chang's Hua Yue Monument from his brother's office. You just need to study Mrs. Wei's books year after year. The division of the Western Reform is still learning the monument. " This self-report illustrates two problems: first, it shows that he took a detour when he was studying; The second is that he is dissatisfied with Mrs Meng Shiwei. Why is this happening? Mrs. Wei was a famous female calligrapher at that time. Since her family study, she has spread the legacy of Zhong You. Wang Xizhi learned from her for the first time. "It will be great." This only shows that Wang Xizhi has too little knowledge and is young and ignorant. But Mrs Wei's charming writing style is not Wang Xizhi's artistic pursuit. Therefore, it is completely understandable that he wants to change to study after seeing the historical sites in Qin and Han Dynasties. Wang Xizhi's vision has greatly enhanced his ability to distinguish beauty. His aesthetic ideal is far from what Wei can satisfy, and he thinks it's just a waste of time. This is a great turning point in his learning calligraphy. This turning point is the embodiment of Wang Xizhi's bold and innovative spirit. It is the foothold of Xihe calligraphy to let predecessors serve their own creation. Under the guidance of the spirit of innovation and creation, he did not simply imitate others and follow the ancients, but absorbed the nutrients of his predecessors to enrich his artistic creation, showing amazing creative talent. Just like Zhang Huai? "Introduction" said: "It's a shame to analyze the grass with a bow and compromise it with thick fiber; The gain and loss of The Servant of Zhong Jun, though using Ceng Hua, is quaint. I will do anything to study my physical condition. " It can be seen that the method of analyzing, adding losses and studying the physical situation in Xi Zhi Zhang Xuezhong Zhi is completely based on new creation, which is in sharp contrast with the vulgar people who prostrate themselves at the feet of their predecessors and take the past as their ability. Before Wang Xizhi, the calligraphy style of Chinese characters inherited from Han and Wei dynasties, and successively created cursive script, running script and regular script. However, the calligraphy style represented by Zhong You and Zhang Zhi is not completely divorced from the official meaning, but naive and simple. Wang Xizhi followed the development trend of calligraphy, introduced the aesthetic taste of the times, and made bold reforms on the basis of learning Zhong and Zhang's calligraphy. Regular script changes from horizontal to vertical, dignified and even. Running script is divorced from official intention, beautiful, flattering and tight, smart and secret. In terms of brushwork, the center and edge are used together, and the pen is quick and easy to write, which strengthens the artistry and practicality of the book. The cursive script is changed to slow, wavy and incoherent writing, and the cursive script is free and coherent, and the strokes are saved without losing shape. Wang Xizhi not only completed the finalization of China's calligraphy style, but also completed the great transformation of China's calligraphy art from bad to beautiful. In order to enrich his artistic creation, Wang Xizhi also drew beneficial nutrients from the mass calligraphy works since the Han and Wei Dynasties, and concentrated the creative factors scattered in the previous generation and contemporary calligraphy works. After purification, summary, artistic processing, and integration into his new artistic creation, it can be seen that he is very good at learning. From the bamboo slips and silk books we see now, we can see works similar to the representative works of the cursive script of Xihe Xing. In this sense, Wang Xizhi is also a master of popular calligraphy creation. It is precisely because Wang Xizhi was able to skillfully integrate all kinds of calligraphy techniques of Qin and Han seal script obtained from the Expo into cursive script, and the Expo is about to take it, forming the best posture of his time, opening up a new world of cursive script art for future generations, and reaching the height of "the more precious the product, the better the ancient and modern" (Yang Xin's Bizhen Map). This is why Wang Xizhi's calligraphy is highly respected and known as the "book saint".
Wang Xizhi's calligraphy embodies the aesthetic pursuit in Wei and Jin Dynasties. The formation of calligraphy artistic style depends on its own aesthetic consciousness, and the establishment of aesthetic concept is directly influenced and restricted by the style of the times. Wang Xizhi lived in a special era. "The Wei, Jin and Six Dynasties at the end of the Han Dynasty were the most chaotic and painful times in China's politics, but it was an era of great freedom, liberation, wisdom and enthusiasm in the spiritual history. Therefore, it is also the most artistic era. " (Zong Baihua's On Shi Shuo Xin Yu Jin Ren's Beauty) During this period, new aesthetic concepts and standards were established on the basis of literati's personality consciousness, and Gu Zhuo's simple beauty changed to elegance and elegance, and various art forms began to pursue formal beauty while demanding self-expression. A large number of talented and innovative writers and artists in the fields of literature, calligraphy and painting have broken through the traditional barriers, established a new style and opened up a new realm of literature and art with the spirit of "painting is my own painting and book is my own book". Wang Xizhi is the most outstanding representative in calligraphy field. He consciously conformed to the historical development trend and the aesthetic art of the times, boldly broke through the solemnity, solemnity and neatness of Gu Zhuo's book style since the Qin and Han Dynasties, and created a "Wang Ti" full of energy. Wang Xizhi is a noble son of a noble family, born in this era. His ancestors and father were both famous nobles and masters in the history of Jin Dynasty. Being in an era of paying attention to sectarianism and being a son of a noble who is in power politically, Wang Xizhi's aesthetic ideal is undoubtedly restricted by the times. At that time, the aesthetic theory and artistic principles of "vivid with form" and "vivid with Mo Yun" inevitably permeated his artistic creation. This situation has been confirmed in his calligraphy masterpiece Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, and Wang Xizhi's influence by Taoist thought is also a factor that cannot be ignored. In his works, the calm, natural and natural gesture of using a pen, the pen and pen that are not excited, emotional and incomprehensible, reflect the Taoist subjective pursuit of inner, essential and spiritual beauty.
Wang Xizhi's calligraphy has had a far-reaching impact on ancient and modern China and foreign countries. Yu Shinan, Ou Yangxun, Chu Suiliang, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Sun, Huai Su, Zhang Xu and Yang Ningshi in the Five Dynasties, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fei, Cai Xiang and Yuan? , Xian Yushu, Ke, Yun Ming, Dong Qichang, Huang Daozhou, Wang Duo, Yong, etc. After the middle of Qing Dynasty, Bao and Kang Youwei advocated the North Monument, and for a time, the North Monument and the South Monument were posted to compete with the world. However, people who study stone tablets also respect Wang Xizhi's "Two Kings" calligraphy, including Wang Xianzhi. Wang Xizhi's calligraphy art is the common wealth of mankind, and it is loved and worshipped by people not only at home but also overseas. Booksellers in Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia have always regarded Wang Xizhi as a god. Since the Tang Dynasty, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy works have traveled to Japan with the frequent cultural exchanges between China and Japan, which has had a far-reaching impact on the style of Japanese calligraphy, thus effectively promoting and promoting the development of Japanese and even Asian calligraphy. It is still regarded as a treasure, and there are many researchers, and a considerable number of people are masters or researchers who write "Wang Shu"