What are the characteristics and contributions of epigraphy in the history of calligraphy in Qing Dynasty?

In the development history of nearly 300 years, China's calligraphy in Qing Dynasty experienced a difficult transformation. It broke through the cage of calligraphy since the Song, Yuan and Ming Dynasties, and initiated the study of steles, especially the calligraphy of seal script, official script and northern Wei Dynasty stele, which can be compared with regular script in Tang Dynasty, running script in Song Dynasty and cursive script in Ming Dynasty, forming a vigorous and profound calligraphy style. In particular, calligraphers of stele studies, borrowing the past to open up the present, show their individuality, and make the calligraphy world very active, with various schools and a thriving situation.

Wang Duo's calligraphy

Calligraphy in the early Qing Dynasty inherited from Seo Woo in the Ming Dynasty, and the influential calligraphers in the calligraphy world are still adherents of the Ming Dynasty, among which Wang Duo, Fu Shan, Zhu Da, Gui Zhuang, Song Cao and Mao Xiang are the representatives. They are all good at cursive script, and Wang Duo and Fu Shan have the greatest influence. Wang Duo's cursive style is bold and unconstrained, and it is unique for a while. Fu Shan's cursive writing is not as strong as Wang Duo's, but because it is not clear, he uses calligraphy to express his thoughts and feelings, so he is indifferent and complacent. Zhu Da's cursive script hides his head and protects his tail. His pointillism and its turning point contain a painful emotion of national extinction and death, which is the same as his paintings.

The wild grass in the late Ming Dynasty did not develop in the Qing Dynasty. This is due to the cultural policy of imprisonment in Qing dynasty, which is incompatible with wild grass. Therefore, after the early Qing Dynasty, few calligraphers could write cursive script. In addition, Kangxi loved Dong Qichang's calligraphy and appreciated Zhao Meng's until the Qianlong period. Because of this, the calligraphy styles of Zhao and Dong have greatly increased, and ordinary calligraphers only take Zhao and Dong as models. However, the imperial examination system in the Qing Dynasty required both elegant and popular tastes, which made the calligraphy in this period look weak and charming. At this time, the post study is even narrower. The representative calligrapher at that time was Shen Quan, the tenth grandson of Shen Du, a calligrapher of Taige style in Ming Dynasty. He studied Dong Qichang, and he wrote most of the imperial inscriptions. Gao Shiqi also studied Dong Qichang's calligraphy, and his calligraphy was recommended to the Palace, which won the favor of Kangxi. Chen's cursive script was also appreciated by Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong. In the eleventh year of Yongzheng (1733), he was ordered to turn his inkstone into a 10 volume of "Dream of Mo Lou Tie". In addition,, Jiang,, He Chao, also known as the Four Heroes of Kangxi. Some of these people are scholars, some are painters, and their works are rich. Although their calligraphy is far inferior to that of Jin and Tang Dynasties, it is actually greatly influenced by Zhao Mengfu and Dong Qichang, and their works are also inseparable from the weak temperament brought by the study of calligraphy.

Toyama cursive script

During the decline of calligraphy, some calligraphers got up to study Han steles. Guo Zongchang, the first person who advocated the study of steles, once worked in Han Li and wrote The History of the Study of Steles, aiming at promoting the development of the study of steles. In addition, Wan Jing wrote "Biebieli" and Gu Aiji wrote "Li Bian", which had a certain influence on advocating the official script of Han Dynasty. At that time, learning seemed to have become a trend, such as Gu Ling's Monument to the Lower City, Zheng's Monument to Guo Youdao and Zhu Zun's. Other calligraphers who can write official script include Wang Duo, Fu Shan, Wang Shimin, Zhou Lianggong, Cheng Ai and Wang Shu. Among them, Zheng He and Zhu Zun have the greatest influence. Zheng loves historical sites and has a rich collection. He has studied Han Li for over 50 years. His official script mainly used Cao Quanbei, and he wrote official script in cursive script. His official script had a great influence on calligraphers at that time. Zhu Zun is a literati poet, and his official script is fresh and beautiful, learning from Cao Quanbei and incorporating Ou Yangxun's calligraphy.

In the middle of Qing dynasty, iron blood was still very popular. Qianlong has been in office for a long time and has a deep love for books. He tried his best to collect historical records and ordered Liang to engrave Sanxi Hall, which played a positive role in the development of iron science. Gan Long taught himself Zhao Zi, and traveled all over the south of the Yangtze River, full of poems and monuments. When the wind blows, it is natural that the book of miscellaneous pavilions is popular. At that time, there were Zhang Zhao, Wang Youdun and Kong. Zhang Zhao started in Dong Qichang, followed by Yan Zhenqing and Mi Fei. Although the result is not as good as Dong Qichang's, his writing is slightly better. Liu Yong, Liang, Weng Fanggang, etc. are also representatives of iron-blooded calligraphers. Weng Fanggang spared no effort in the study of Tang steles and also dabbled in Han steles. His temperament is still similar to calligraphy. He is good at Xiao Zhuan, but he has made great contributions to the study of steles, such as Inscriptions in the Han Dynasty and Selected Inscriptions in Zhaitang, Su Mi. In his early years, Liang's calligraphy was dominated by Zhao and Dong, from Yan, Mi, Gong Kai and Xing. His calligraphy was elegant, but he lacked vigor. He, Liang, also known as San Liang. Liu Yong, calligraphy takes the road of Dong Qichang, with thick and heavy force, shaking muscles and gathering pulses. Wang Wenzhi's calligraphy is graceful and elegant, but he lacks Liu Yong's courage. In addition, Yao Nai's running script is dense, Yong's regular script and cursive script are elegant and beautiful, and his regular script is rich and plump, while his cursive script and Guo Shangxian's running script are all famous at that time.

Jinnong lacquer tree

In the middle of Qing dynasty, the trend of stele study gradually opened up, and calligraphers of stele study emerged constantly. Famous ones are Jin Nong, Deng and Yi Bingshou. Jinnong is one of the eight eccentrics in Yangzhou. His regular script was taken from the inscriptions in the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and obtained its method in Twenty Paintings in Longmen and Monument to the Temple of Heaven, creating so-called lacquer books, striving for the effect of knife cutting and emphasizing the taste of stone. Jin Nong's poems directly reduced Wang Xizhi's calligraphy to vulgarity. He doesn't want to be his handmaiden, but would rather learn the Huashan tablet in the Han Dynasty. It is very bold to attack the iron and blood in this way and advocate learning monuments at that time when the iron and blood was prevalent. Because of the rise of scholars' research on epigraphy in Ganjia period, it also opened the eyes of calligraphy circles. So Ruan Yuan wrote "On the North Monument and the South Post" and "On the North-South Calligraphy School", and strongly recommended the study of steles. He said: most of Song Yuanming's calligraphers were trapped by Ge Tie. It seems that there is no calligraphy except wedge ties. He asked people to shake traditional customs and stick to the laws of Han and Wei dynasties. Ruan Yuan's two articles have a great influence, which is no less than the declaration to promote the study of steles. Then, Bao also talked about the study of steles in "Two Boats" and proposed that Deng should be regarded as a model for studying the study of steles. Deng was a famous calligrapher of epigraphy in Qing Dynasty. He dropped out of school in his early years and made a living by selling books. He is good at four-body calligraphy and seal cutting. He broke through the writing style of Li Si and Li Yu's seal since Qin Dynasty and created a new style of seal cutting. His official script study of Han steles spread all over Han and Wei steles, and inherited the official script method of Han Dynasty, forming a beautiful and dense new style. Deng's regular script was taken from the inscriptions in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and cursive script evolved from the inscriptions. Coupled with his achievements in seal cutting, he created a style full of gold and stone. Yi Bingshou is good at official script, and his calligraphy style is Yan. He is bold and has a unique style. Kang Youwei believes that Deng and Yi Bingshou are the founders of the Qing Dynasty stele study.

In addition, many calligraphers who were good at calligraphy as scholars appeared in this period, such as Gui Fu, Qian Dian, Sun Xingyan, Qian Daxin, Qian Yong and Zhang Tingji. They are all good at official script. Because they have a solid foundation in philology, their official scripts are elegant, elegant and quaint. During this period, some painters were also calligraphers, such as Zheng Xie, Huang Shen, Wang and Li, among the Eight Eccentrics in Yangzhou. They all had their own styles and characteristics. Zheng Xie combined truth, grass, seal script and official script in one furnace, hence the name "Six Books and a Half". Wang's official script and Huang Shen's cursive script embody unconventional artistic styles. Among the seal engravers, there are eight such as Xiling, and everyone is good at writing. Ding Jing inherited the method and practiced cursive script, which was simple and got a broad and innocent taste. Jiang Renxing cursive script in and out of Yan and Mi, but concise in Bo. The official script of Huang Yi and Xigang is completely derived from Han script. Chen Hongshou's official script is a blend of official seal and official seal, which is fresh and interesting.

Yi Bingshou: Li Shu

Compared with the middle period, calligraphy in the late Qing Dynasty was not popular, but the study of steles was still in the ascendant. At this time, seal script and bronze inscriptions flourished, and the bronze inscriptions unearthed in Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties increased day by day, which still played a great role in calligraphy. Kang Youwei believes that there were four changes in calligraphy in Qing Dynasty: during Kang Yong's reign, it was aimed at imitating Dong Qichang; During the Qianlong period, they all competed to imitate Zhao Meng. Ou Yangxun's calligraphy prevailed in Jiaqing and Daoguang periods; The study of steles in the Northern Dynasties sprouted in Xianfeng and Tongzhi periods. Although this view is not accurate, it is generally in line with the trend of calligraphy in Qing Dynasty. Epigraphy occupies a major position in calligraphy in the late Qing Dynasty, which makes calligraphers who mainly study epigraph have to face up to epigraph calligraphy, and epigraphy calligraphers are also compatible with epigraphy, so that calligraphy in the late Qing Dynasty has another scene.

Yi Bingshou's official script

Calligraphy in the late Qing Dynasty was represented by He, Zhao and Wu Changshuo. Based on Yan Zhenqing, He's calligraphy is a collection of ancient seal strokes of Zhou, Qin and Han Dynasties, and down to the inscriptions of Sui and Tang Dynasties in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. His achievements in cursive writing are particularly outstanding. Regular script is beautiful and elegant, and it has the charm of calligraphy in Tang Dynasty. In his later years, he improved the seal script. After the age of 60, he almost always wrote Han Li's famous inscriptions, so his official script style is steady, and Gu Zhuo is heavy. His cursive script combines Yan characters, northern dynasties inscriptions and seal cutting in one furnace, which is unrestrained, detached and naive. Zhao's calligraphy, painting and seal cutting are very long. His calligraphy was a beginner in Yan Zhenqing, and later he took the inscriptions of the Six Dynasties. His regular script is full of aesthetic feeling, and he wrote the square-folded tablet of the Northern Wei Dynasty with a tactful brushwork. Moreover, his cursive script, seal script and official script are all mixed with the style of the Northern Wei Dynasty and are unique. He and Zhao had a great influence on calligraphy in the late Qing Dynasty. Calligraphers in this period also included Zhang Yuzhao, who regarded the North Monument as a Sect, lofty and dignified, and used a pen with an outer circle and an inner circle. His regular script also had a certain influence on later. Wu Xizai has made outstanding achievements in seals and official seals. He is a disciple of Bao. He studied Deng's seal script, but he lived in seclusion. Unfortunately, he lacks personality, learns from Chen Shi, and lacks creativity. Yang Yisun is good at seal script. He is very energetic. Wu Da is a collector of epigraphy. Good at writing seal script and official script, and official script is stable. Seal script can be written in gold structure, with a new look. At that time, there was Xu Sangeng who wrote seal script with the brushwork of "Heaven sends God to the North"; Mo Youzhi wrote seal script with "Mountain Monument of Zen Country" and Han Ming, each with its own characteristics. Yu Yue and Yang Xian wrote official script. In addition, Weng Tonghe is famous for writing lines and opening letters. His calligraphy changed from Yan to Wei, old and simple, and his brushwork was dignified. In his later years, he also wrote official script, which was extremely concise.

Sun Xingyan: seal script

Yang Shoujing, Wu Changshuo, Kang Youwei and Shen were the most famous calligraphers in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. Yang Shoujing is good at writing official script and regular script, and has a large collection of inscriptions in the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties. He once traveled to Japan, brought many inscriptions and accepted Japanese students. He is the author of "Pingbei Collection" and "Learning Words", which has a certain influence on modern Japanese calligraphy. Wu Changshuo, a great calligrapher, painter and seal engraver in the late Qing Dynasty, made the deepest efforts on Shi Guwen, changed it into a long scroll and paid attention to momentum. Li Shu also imitated the "Sangong Mountain Monument" and "Pei Cenji Monument" in the Han Dynasty. Running script caught up with the Tang Dynasty from Wang Duo, and "vigorously embraced seal script as a weed" in his later years, achieving mastery through a comprehensive study and opening up a new realm. Shen is a famous scholar. He studied the calligraphy of Zhong You and Suo Jing, and even wrote inscriptions for the Han and Wei Dynasties. In his later years, he was good at Cao Zhang, and since stele study prevailed, calligraphers devoted themselves to seal script, and cursive script was rarely famous. Shen Cengzhi initiated a new method of cursive script, which had a certain influence on later generations. On the calligraphy theory, Kang Youwei gave full play to Ruan Yuan's and Bao's view of worshipping monuments and wrote Two Boats of Guangyi, which had a great influence on modern calligraphy theory. His calligraphy is also rooted in the inscriptions of the Northern Dynasties, especially the inscriptions of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the stone carvings of Yunfeng Mountain in Yexian County, Shandong Province, which have the deepest influence on him. Therefore, his calligraphy is clumsy and unique.

Jiang Ren: Running script

Summarizing the development of calligraphy in Qing dynasty, we can see the competition and growth and decline between inscriptions and calligraphy in the development of calligraphy in Qing dynasty. There are objective reasons for the rise of epigraphy in Qing Dynasty: ① The prosperity of epigraphy textual research since the middle of Qing Dynasty. In order to avoid the Internet, intellectuals in Qing Dynasty embarked on the road of textual research. At this time, the inscriptions of the Han, Wei, Southern and Northern Dynasties were constantly unearthed. In addition to the help of textual research, the words on the inscription also provide brand-new materials for calligraphy and broaden the horizons of calligraphers. On the other hand, the writing of seal script and official script needs the origin of characters, and the achievements of philology in Qing dynasty provided the foundation for calligraphy art, so many calligraphers in Qing dynasty were also inscriptions. (2) The development of seal cutting also provides conditions for the innovation of calligraphy. Calligraphers in the Qing Dynasty were good at printing, so they were able to apply the quaint and simple taste of stone to calligraphy creation, giving calligraphy a spirit of stone, which has never been seen in calligraphy art since Sui and Tang Dynasties. (3) The development of literati painting makes painting more calligraphic. On the contrary, literati painting has added new blood to calligraphy art. Therefore, calligraphy in Qing Dynasty was created with pen, ink and even rules.