Slender Golden Book is a font with a very unique style. It was originally created by Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty. This calligraphy style is based on image theory. The original name should be "thin tendon body", replacing the word "jin" with "jin", which is a sign of respect for the emperor's imperial calligraphy.
Song Huizong, the eighth emperor of the Northern Song Dynasty, surnamed Zhao Mingji, was born in Bianjing (now Kaifeng), and was a famous calligrapher and painter. During his reign, Zhao Ji pursued extravagance, political corruption, and poor diplomacy, which caused widespread resentment among the people and laid the foundation for the country's collapse during the Jingkang period of the Northern Song Dynasty. Although Zhao Ji was a failed politician and emperor, he was extremely talented in the fields of calligraphy and painting. He created his original "thin gold style" calligraphy, and many of his calligraphy and painting works can shine through the annals of history. He was a rare artistic genius in ancient times. Later generations rated him as "Huizong of the Song Dynasty was capable of everything except being the king's ear."
As the name suggests, "thin" is the most recognizable feature of the thin gold style. Although the strokes are as thin as hair, they are still round, thin and powerful. This feature gives the thin gold body a fairy-like temperament. The weight of the strokes is clear, and the changes in the strength of the strokes can be seen from the beginning to the end of the strokes. The structure is well-proportioned, and the turning points are elegant and unrestrained, giving it a light and refined beauty. Some connected characters are like gossamer lines, close to running script.
Judging from the writing characteristics of the thin gold style, its strokes are obvious and the fonts are clean and neat. The strokes are sharp at the beginning and end of the stroke, and the exposed strokes are particularly prominent, especially the long strokes of the font, and the sharp edges are like slender leaves. The shape is stretched and extremely public, making the fonts extremely stretched and unrestrained, without any swaying; the horizontal strokes are closed with a band. The hook, the vertical stroke is closed with dots, and the vertical hook is slender.
Secondly, the thin gold body emphasizes the focus of the font structure by increasing the strength of the strokes, strengthening the visual emphasis, making the strokes consistent in thickness and having a visual foothold. Secondly, by aggravating the strength of the strokes, the thin gold body highlights the focus of the font structure, strengthens the visual emphasis, and makes the thickness of the strokes consistent and visually anchored. Secondly, by aggravating the strength of the strokes, the thin gold body highlights the focus of the font structure, strengthens the visual emphasis, and makes the thickness of the strokes consistent and visually anchored.
The originality of Shou Jin Ti did not appear out of thin air, but was the result of Zhao Ji's hybrid combination of the styles of many calligraphers. The sources of integration are diverse and complex. There are three types of calligraphers that are relatively recognized in history.
The first is the "two Xue and one Chu theory", which emphasizes the resemblance in form; the second is the "Huang Tingjian theory", which emphasizes the resemblance to bones; the third is the "Mi Fu theory", which emphasizes the resemblance to the soul.
The "Chu" in "Two Xue and One Chu" refers to Chu Suiliang, who was a politician and calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Chu Suiliang devoted his life to calligraphy, and his handed down works include "Fang Xuanling Stele", "Yanta Sacred Preface", "Master Meng Stele" and so on. His calligraphy learned from Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi and others, and added the characteristics of Han Li style to create his own style. He became one of the "four major regular calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty" and was known as "Chu style". Chu Suiliang's fonts have different styles in the early and late periods, and there are many innovative and sublimated parts in the later period. "The Preface to the Holy Religion of the Wild Goose Pagoda" is the work that best represents Chu Suiliang's regular script style. Chu Suiliang had already entered old age when he wrote this monument. During this period His fonts are clear and strong, and his brushwork is skillful and sophisticated, creating a whole set of standard systems for the new Tang Kai script.
Chu Suiliang’s fonts have different styles in the early and late periods, and there are many innovative and sublimated parts in the later period. "The Preface to the Holy Religion of the Wild Goose Pagoda" is the work that best represents Chu Suiliang's regular script style. Chu Suiliang had already written this stele. Entering old age, during this period, his handwriting was clear and strong, his brushwork skillful and mature, and he created a whole set of standard systems for the new Tang Kai script.
"Er Xue" refers to Xue Ji and Xue Yao. They were brothers and both were politicians in the Tang Dynasty. Chu Suiliang was his uncle. Their calligraphy was deeply influenced by Chu. In the same vein.
At that time, Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang had excellent calligraphy, and Xue Ji had to observe their works for a long time. The characteristic of his calligraphy is "Qiu Li's structure", which is a good inheritance of Chu Suiliang's brushwork and style. In his later period, Xue Ji developed his own personal style that blended official script with regular script. It was beautiful yet powerful, and his calligraphy style was both strong and thin but rounded. There are few handed down works, the representative one is "The Monument of Zen Master Xinxing".
Xue Yao is known as the "ancestor of thin gold style". He was taught by the same teacher as Xue Ji. His handwriting is thin and hard, his pen is thin and powerful, and his structure is sparse and clear. It is more dangerous than Chu's calligraphy. Slender and famous at the time. His representative works include "Preface to Shi Cong Poems on a Summer Tour".
The "thin" in the glyphs of Xue Ji and Xue Yao was inherited by Zhao Ji. The thin gold style and Er Xue's glyphs are of the same origin and direction at the beginning and end.
To a certain extent, the glyphs of Xue Ji and Xue Yao are the basis of the glyphs of Thin Gold Style. Zhao Ji's development of "Er Xue" is more elegant and uninhibited, and he is bolder in the retraction and expansion.
"Huang Tingjian's theory" refers to the running script style derived from Huang Tingjian; Huang Tingjian's fame spread far and wide in his early years. Huang Tingjian was good at running script and cursive script, and his regular script also became his own; Song Huizong also heard about it and studied many of his works.
In Huang Tingjian's running script, each character is mostly long and horizontal, with large strokes and big strokes, but each character seems to have a center of a circle; the center is contracted, and other strokes radiate from the center of the circle. This "radiating" character structure of "broken body" broke through the square shape with even sides that had been popular since the Jin and Tang Dynasties. It exaggerated certain strokes to give his calligraphy a smooth and elegant style. Elegance and strength.
The thin gold style also has the characteristics of compactness in the center and exaggeration on all sides, which is a feature not found in "Er Xue" calligraphy. The strokes of the thin gold body are also long, horizontal and long, sometimes even worse than those of the "yellow body".
"Mi Fu's Theory" means that Zhao Ji's artistic thoughts were influenced by Mi Fu; Mi Fu was a calligrapher, painter, and theorist of calligraphy and painting in the Northern Song Dynasty. He founded the "Midian Landscape" and was one of the "Four Schools of Painting and Calligraphy" in the Song Dynasty. one. Mi Fu is famous for his calligraphy, and his greatest achievement is running script. He is also good at seal script, official script, regular script, cursive script and other calligraphy styles. He is good at copying ancient calligraphy to the point of imitating it.
Song Huizong was very kind to Mi Fu. He was once appointed as a doctor of calligraphy and painting by Song Huizong. The two had a good personal relationship. They went to the palace many times to create works for Huizong to enjoy. He was a collection of calligraphers, painters, and calligraphers. He is a connoisseur and collector all in one. During the process of their friendship, their styles will have a subtle influence. His extant works mainly include "Qinghe Tie", "Dechen Tie", "Zhang Du Da Tie", etc.
Mi Fu's running script is free and easy, inheriting the style of the scholars of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Therefore, he also attaches great importance to calligraphy. He despises those literati who completely imitate the calligraphy of their predecessors. He advocates personal style and pays attention to personal character. release.
Such ideas can also be seen in Huizong of the Song Dynasty; the uniqueness of the thin gold style is exactly the embodiment of Mi Fu's personal style. Both of them paid attention to the shape of the font, and The calligraphy of Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty is more in the style of the literati of the Song Dynasty, which is unique and shows the majesty of the emperor.
(The artistic value and historical background of the thin gold body will be displayed in the next issue, so stay tuned)