In the early Tang Dynasty, there were four famous calligraphy and painting masters, who were known as the "Four Masters of the Early Tang Dynasty" by later generations. They were Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang and Xue Ji. Their regular scripts all had the "delicate, thin and vigorous" "Characteristics. The specific introduction is as follows:
Ouyang Xun: Ouyang Xun was the one with the highest achievement in regular script among the four masters of regular script in the early Tang Dynasty. He, together with the later Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, and Zhao Mengfu, were known as the "Four Masters of Regular Script". He created Fangyuan Both techniques are applied, focusing on squares, strong stipples, and concentrated brushstrokes in the "European style". Ouyang Xun's regular script seems to be plain, but in fact it is full of changes and dangerous situations. He is praised by later generations as "the first regular script writer in the Tang Dynasty". His representative regular script works include "Inscription on the Liquan of Jiucheng Palace", "Inscription on the Pagoda of Zen Master Yong of Huadu Temple", "The Monument of Yu Gonggong and Wen Yanbo", etc. Among them, the "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Ming" was praised by later generations as "the best regular script in the world" and "the best regular script in the world". It is highly respected and has always been regarded as a template for learning regular script.
Yu Shinan: Yu Shinan received the teachings of Monk Sun Zhiyong, the seventh generation of Wang Xizhi, from an early age, and learned the true inheritance of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. Different from Ouyang Xun, although Yu Shinan's calligraphy is also long and narrow, it is not so aggressive, but more subtle and rich. His calligraphy strokes are smooth and powerful, soft on the outside but strong on the inside. "The Confucius Temple Stele" is an outstanding work of inscriptions in the early Tang Dynasty. It is also recognized by epigraphers and calligraphers of all ages as a representative work of Yu Shinan's regular script.
Chu Suiliang: Chu Suiliang was very innovative. He combined the essence of the calligraphy of his predecessors, integrated and innovated it, formed his own style, and created "Chu style". His calligraphy combines the taste of Han Dynasty, is rich in beauty, gentle and versatile, and combines hardness and softness. It is a bridge between the Sui and Tang Dynasty regular scripts, opening up the regular scripts of the Tang Dynasty and promoting the continuation and innovation of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty and later generations. "The Preface to the Holy Religion of the Wild Goose Pagoda" is Chu Suiliang's representative work in regular script and a famous inscription in the history of calligraphy.
Xue Ji: Xue Ji is one of the four masters of calligraphy and painting in the early Tang Dynasty. His calligraphy inherited Chu Suiliang's brushwork and style, and on this basis, he formed a unique personal style full of poetry and painting. . His calligraphy has exquisite brushwork, slender lines, and broad knots. It is strong and thin yet rounded. The thin gold calligraphy created by Song Huizong was inspired by Xue Ji's slender pen. Xue Ji left behind exquisite calligraphy works such as the "Zhongyue Stele", "Luoyang Ling Zhengchang Stele" and "Shengxian Prince Stele". Among them, the "Xinxing Zen Master Stele" which records the rise of Buddhism by the famous official Xinxing Zen Master in the Sui Dynasty is his representative work.