In terms of calligraphy, he was influenced by his father and friends to write Su Ti in his early years, and later by his father-in-law, Li Yingzhen, and learned more brushwork in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Learning from the Jin and Tang Dynasties, Xiaokai became stronger. In the small script praised in Volume 7 of Hangzhou's Five Miscellaneous Books: "There is no real regular script, that is, Zhong and Wang Chuan's" Finger Table "and" On "are all pens. In the Tang Dynasty, monuments such as Jiucheng Palace and Duopagodas began to be cautious in painting and calligraphy, but the problem of being overweight and thin was inevitable. By the time of this dynasty, Mr. Zhong began to have a very interesting structure, with well-proportioned density and suitable location. Such as avalokitesvara, full of color. It is also a generation in the bookstore. " His big characters are written by Huang Tingjian, elegant and good at bone rhyme. Zhu Yunming and Wang Chong pay equal attention.
Wen Zhiming (1470- 1559) was the most famous painter and great calligrapher in the middle of Ming dynasty. In the history of painting, he, Shen Zhou, Tang Yin and Chou Ying are also called "Four Masters of Wumen". His fame is great in the contemporary era, and he is known as "writing all over the world". Wen Zhiming was born in Changzhou Jiangsu. It is the second largest family in Wupai. Although he imitated Shen Zhou, he still has his own style. He is versatile, green ink and wash, and meticulous brushwork. During the period from Zheng De (Zhu Houzhao, Wuzong) to Jiajing (Zhu Houhan, Sejong), there were 876 painters in Wu Pai according to the History of Wumen Painting. Some of them don't want to be officials at all, and some want to be officials. (For example, Wen Zhiming once went to Beijing to be an official, and the result was very unpleasant. ) They live a noble life and are content with poverty.
Wen Zhiming was born in a bureaucratic family. He took several imperial examinations in his early years, but he was not admitted because he was out of date. At the age of 54, Gong Sheng was recommended as an academician. Resigned after four years in office. Since then, I have devoted myself to poetry, painting and calligraphy, no longer seeking official promotion, trying to avoid contact with powerful people and focusing on the art of poetry, painting and calligraphy for more than 30 years. He died at the age of 90 and was excellent in poetry, writing and painting. People call it the "four unique" generalist. The prestige in his later years is extremely high.
Wen Zhiming's accomplishments in painting and calligraphy are extremely comprehensive, including landscapes, figures, flowers and orchids. The theme of landscape painting mostly describes the scenery in the south of the Yangtze River, while the characters and manners in the landscape completely imitate Zhao Mengfu. Li Jicheng, a figure painter, inherited the ancient tradition, and his brushwork is exquisite and fluent. In his later years, Wen Zhiming had two styles: thick accumulation and thin hair, and the more he worked, the more he worked. Wen Zhiming studied painting theory all his life, worked hard and gained great fame. Keep pace with teacher Shen Zhou, and become the leader of Wumen 50 years after Shen Zhou.
Li Yingzhen, a beginner in calligraphy, has learned from the masterpieces of the previous generation, and has his own accomplishments in seal cutting, official script, regular script, calligraphy and cursive script. Especially good at running script and small letters, warm and beautiful, rigorous statutes and vivid ideas. Although there is no vigorous momentum, it has the charm of Jin and Tang calligraphy and has its own certain style. Small letters are euphemistic with pens and have a relaxed rhythm, which complements his painting style and is known as "the first in Ming Dynasty".
Wen Zhiming's descendants and disciples have made many achievements. For example, his son Wen Peng, Wen Jia and nephew Wen Boren are all famous painters. Among his disciples, Qian Gu, Lu Shidao, Chen Daofu, Ju Jie and Zhu Lang were all brilliant, forming a school of painting-"Wu Pai", which had a far-reaching influence and continued to the painting circle in Qing Dynasty.