Liu Gongquan, Hang Cheng, is from Yaoxian County, Shaanxi Province. The official to the crown prince is a surname, and the world calls him Wei Liu. Liu Gongquan liked calligraphy since he was a child, and he was filled with indignation when he practiced calligraphy. There is a story among the people that Liu Gongquan practiced calligraphy hard:
One day, Liu Gongquan and several friends held a "reading club". At this time, an old man selling tofu saw his handwriting, "I can write about Feng Fei's family background and dare to boast in front of people." He felt that the child was too proud and frowned and said, "This word is not well written, just like my tofu, it is soft, flat and spineless. Is it worth boasting in front of people? " Hearing this, Hsiao Kung chuan said unhappily, "If you are capable, can you write some words for me?" The old man smiled heartily and said, "No, I dare not. I am a clown and can't write well. " However, some people write with their feet much better than you! If you don't believe me, go to Huajing. "
The next day, Xiao Gongquan went to Huajing alone. As soon as he entered the capital of China, he saw many people gathered around a big pagoda tree. He squeezed into the crowd and saw a black and thin old man, with no arms and barefoot, sitting on the ground, his left foot pressing paper and his right foot holding a pen, writing couplets freely, with words like galloping horses and dancing dragons and phoenixes, which won the cheers of the onlookers. Xiao Gongquan knelt down in front of the old man and said, "I would like to worship you as a teacher, please tell me the secret of writing ..." The old man quickly pulled Xiao Gongquan up with his feet and said, "I was born without hands, and I can only live skillfully with my feet. How can I be a teacher? " Xiao Gongquan begged, and the old man spread a piece of paper on the ground and wrote a few words with his right foot: "Write eight jars of water, and the inkstone is dyed black;" When you win hundreds of parents, you will get a phoenix in Yi Long. "
Liu Gongquan took the old man's words to heart, worked hard to practice calligraphy from then on, and finally became a famous calligrapher.
Liu Gongquan's Ci has always been valued in Tang Muzong, Jing Zong and Wenzong. He is a civil servant and has a well-informed career. Literati called his ci "Zhong Wang's resurrection is hard to see". On one occasion, Emperor Mu Zongdi asked him how to use a pen best. He said: "With a pen in your heart, your heart is always there." This famous saying was passed down by later generations as a story of "pen admonition"
Liu Gongquan's calligraphy reputation was second to none in the Tang Dynasty and beyond. At that time, the epitaph at home, no matter how big or small, was not written by Liu Gongquan, and people regarded their children as unfilial. Moreover, Liu Gongquan's reputation is widely spread overseas, and foreigners pay extra tribute, saying, "I'm here to buy willow books". The reuse of the emperor and the admiration of ministers can certainly change the atmosphere at that time, but this is not the main reason why Liu Gongquan became famous. Liu Ti conquered the contemporary era by creating the new beauty of calligraphy, and also won the admiration of future generations. "A word is worth a hundred dollars, not empty talk". Su Shi said: "Self-respect, willow, poor brushwork."
Liu Gongquan first learned the word "Yan", but he was able to create his own new ideas and was called "Yan Gu" in the world. The difference between their calligraphy is that Liu Zi is different from Yan Zi's heavy strokes, and the horizontal and vertical strokes are generally even and thin. He also absorbed the advantages of Beibei calligraphy, making stippling as crisp and sharp as a knife. He also borrowed the tight structure of Yu Shinan's regular script and the vertical trend of Yan Zhenqing's regular script, and created a unique Liu Ti. Shi Shuo also said, first, the art of regular script has made great achievements when it came to Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan, and Liu benefited from regular script after learning; Second, Liu, like Yan, combined personality with calligraphy skills and became a model for later calligraphers. Indeed, "Liu Ti" and "Yan Ti" have become rafts for learning calligraphy; The theory of "correct mind and correct pen" is one of the ethical standards of calligraphy; "Yan Liu Jin Gu" has become a type of calligraphy aesthetics. People look at this monument, look back at its books and admire its books, so books and people are immortal.
Liu's life, except for a little time as a foreign official, was basically around the emperor, and he kept writing monuments for the royal family, ministers and relatives. Liu Gongquan is like a canary in a forbidden cage. This kind of life makes him lack of magnanimity, broad vision and broad sources of life. With the continuous development of Yan body, Liu Ti has not changed much after maturity; Yan Zhenqing is like a roaring torrent, but Liu Gongquan is like a stream flowing in the mountains and forests. These are two different styles.
As another generation of calligraphers, Liu Gongquan's towering monument has multiple meanings. His representative works include: stele (stone carving in Gaoling, Shaanxi), exorcist Xuanta stele (stone carving in Anbeilin), Gualu stele (the most complete of Liu stele), Diamond Sutra, Shence Army stele, etc.