The form and style of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy are formed on the basis of predecessors, but the formation of his aesthetic interest in calligraphy is closely related to his times. Judging from the spirit of the Tang Dynasty and its artistic aesthetic fashion different from the previous generation, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy fully embodies the social spirit and artistic aesthetic character of the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty was a great era, with social stability and economic prosperity. Since reunification, it has developed continuously and had frequent cultural exchanges with many countries in the world at that time. As a big country in the Central Plains, the mentality of the Tang people living in it is also changing with each passing day. Different from the people who suffer from frequent wars, hunger and cold, and their livelihood is the primary problem, in the prosperous times when the country is rich and strong, people's mentality has become tolerant, open and positive. Advocating elegance and boldness has formed their new psychological state and lifestyle.
Yan Zhenqing was a scholar in the twenty-second year of Kaiyuan, and served as the censor, the prefect of Pingyuan, the minister of constitutional affairs, and the censor. From the official in Taizong to the official minister and the prince, he was the founder of Luxian County and was called Yan. Yan Zhenqing is honest and has a complicated background. He put down the Anshi rebellion. In the first year of Xingyuan, he was framed and killed by Li Xilie. Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy has created a natural and vigorous realm with outstanding spirituality, cultivated a vigorous and vigorous face with a strong soul, and cultivated with rich life experience, thus achieving a natural and broad tolerance. Yan created a unique aesthetic style in the history of calligraphy. A calligrapher, the formation of a calligraphy style, is bound to go through a certain process of polishing, growth and perfection. Of course, the formation of Yan Zhenqing's Yan calligraphy has also experienced a series of continuous development and maturity. Yan Zhenqing was a beginner in calligraphy, Chu Suiliang, and later studied calligraphy under Zhang Xuxue. Compared with the calligraphy style, it should be Zhang Xu's great influence. It can be said that Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy gradually got rid of the influence of the calligraphy style in the early Tang Dynasty after learning Zhang Xu's brushwork. His own "Notes on Zhang Changshi's Twelve-year-old brushwork" tells the story of his seeking advice from Zhang Xu. This narrative introduces the knowledge of twelve-point calligraphy from the aspects of brushwork, brushwork and structural layout. Through the discussion in this volume, we can also observe Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy pursuit and artistic features in his early years.
Before the age of 50, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy style should be early. After a series of calligraphy studies, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy has initially established its appearance. Yan Zhenqing's early works are rarely handed down from generation to generation. It is said that the word "Longxi" written by Tianbao on Heshan Cliff in five years was written by Yan Zhenqing. It can be seen that Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy has certain strength and accomplishment. Since asking for advice from Zhang Xu's brushwork, Yan Zhenqing has benefited a lot. He even sighed, "You can attack books from now on. In the past five years, he really knows. " He further realized the truth that "painting sand like a cone hides the front, and painting is calm." It can be said that the next few years will be the stage when Yan Zhenqing practices calligraphy from Zhang Xu and tries to sharpen his own calligraphy. It is also in these years that Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy has been completely transformed and gradually matured. With the continuous progress of calligraphy, his fame is getting bigger and bigger. In the following eleven years of Tianbao, we can find many of his calligraphy works, such as the pagoda tablet, the Guo tablet, the Guo Yan tablet and the Confucius Temple tablet. These works show a certain personal style. After two years, there is now "A Portrait of Dong Fangshuo", which has a distinctive style and a certain vigorous temperament. It was not until the Anshi Rebellion that Yan Zhenqing stopped writing and concentrated on his rehabilitation, which may be regarded as the first stage of the development of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy. Through the analysis of the typical "Twin Towers Monument", the main characteristics of this stage can be summarized. "Duobaota Monument" tends to be bold and calm in brushwork, with strong strength and rich forms; The structure changes from slender to square, dense, deep and dignified; Reduce the blanks between words and lines in the layout, and tend to be dense. Many aspects show the face of Yan style, so it is the primary stage, because although the whole is vigorous, we can still see the pursuit of "two kings" and the charming style in the early Tang Dynasty.
Fifty to sixty-five years old is the second stage of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy. At this stage, because of his life and experience, Yan Zhenqing was diligent in calligraphy, pursuing subtlety and vividness in words, exploring the majestic atmosphere outside words, and moving towards self-discipline in style. Important works include Jin Tennoja's inscription, Xian Liu Zhu, Yan Yunnan's inscription, Zanghuaike's inscription, Guo's inscription, Yan Mijian's inscription, the altar of Baoying Temple's Fazang Academy, Magu Mountain Xiantan's inscription, Yan Handa's inscription, and the reconstruction of Yan Han's inscription. Guo Bei is long and graceful; The Story of Magu Mountain Xiantan is concise, solemn and interesting. Cliff stone carving "Ode to the Monument of Datang Zhongxing" is the largest regular script in Yan Zhenqing, with smooth and square calligraphy and hidden bones and muscles; Song Guangping Monument, also known as Song Jing Monument, is magnificent. After wars and turmoil, frequent changes in different lifestyles and vicissitudes, Yan Zhenqing's appreciation of life and art seems to be more profound, which is also reflected in his calligraphy style. He strengthened his wrist strength, stroke in the middle, printing, and turning around to hide the front. Draw horizontally to form a swallow-tailed silkworm head, and draw straight to form a crossbow. The strokes are horizontal, thin and vertical, with obvious characteristics. Sometimes it is sharp-edged, save your strength, but the pen is full of twists and turns. His folding pen is often a subtle turning point, based on the scene of "folding hair" in life. Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy at this time tends to be calm, heavy, square and dignified. The central palace is spacious, and all sides are condensed in the middle, forming a centripetal force. On the white cloth, the lines are dense and the characters are row upon row, and the momentum is gained by the density of form, not by sparseness and elegance. Calm makes the edge of the word in the middle, not outside. All kinds of ups and downs and changes in life make Yan Zhenqing's mind and personality more vigorous and open, and his calligraphy more magnificent. At this point, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy swept away the wind of regular script in the early Tang Dynasty and became upright, magnificent, simple and graceful, with less carving and more vigor.
Ten years after Yan Zhenqing was sixty-five, it was the third stage of his calligraphy. During this period, his calligraphy reached a high degree of maturity, which can be said to be old and old, with obvious personality style and full of interest. At this stage, Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy is getting better and better, and each tablet has its own unique brilliance. Yuan Jie Bei is profound and vigorous, full of broad atmosphere; In its vigorous style, Manna Zi Shu shows a calm and prudent ministerial bearing. Li's rubbings are vigorous and meticulous; "Li Yanqin Monument" can be described as the work that best reflects the charm of the original work, heroic and clean; Yan Ci Bei is a masterpiece in his later years. In addition, there are inscriptions such as Yan Gao Qing tablet, Miaoxi temple tablet and Mayi tablet in this period, and the ink includes self-written advertisement posts, life posts, reposted Cai posts and Zhushantang couplet poems, all of which are rich and simple, unique and touching. Such as stele, Yan's family temple tablet and other typical inscriptions in his later years, Yan Shu is full of vitality in the simple and old, and shows a simple and lush charm in the simple and unpretentious. Proud pen, unique skills; Round and plump, heroic and spirited.
In addition to regular script, Yan Zhenqing's cursive script also has many excellent works. The Book of Seating, also known as the Book of Seating and the Book of Guo Fu Shooting, has been lost, and there are stone carvings in Anbeilin. There are seven articles, about sixty-four lines, which are his representative works of cursive script. It's a letter to Guo Pu She, mainly dealing with the seating problem of officials in the imperial court at the banquet. The letter solemnly warned the behavior of raising the status of eunuchs, and the words were extreme. Throughout the font flying, bold and lively, round brushwork and words also show Yan Zhenqing's outspoken and upright character. Known as "the second running script in the world", Ji Ming's Sacrifice to My Nephew is also a draft with existing ink, which mainly depicts the struggle against the An Shi Rebellion and the mourning for my nephew. The whole post, heroic and magnificent, seems to feel like a tide, and the heroic spirit is stirring the pen. General Pei's Poem Tie is also a representative cursive work, and it should be a poem written by Yan Zhenqing for delivery. The whole article is ups and downs, and the rhythm jumps. The pen combines the characteristics of regular script, cursive script and seal script, and is full of power. In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Shizhen described this scroll brilliantly in his Four Drafts of Yizhou Mountain Man: calligraphy has both official script and running script, the font has the meaning of seal script, and the brushwork is clumsy, powerful and powerful. All kinds of images are contained in this book. The works seem to make people feel the pleasure of riding and killing on the ancient battlefield, and the solemnity and heroism are full of blood boiling. Liu Zhong's messenger posts and Huzhou's posts are also rich in content and full of breath, which not only shows great tolerance, but also reflects the landscape of calligraphy culture in Tang Dynasty.
The aesthetic creation of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy comes from the cultural and artistic spirit of the times, while Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy is the embodiment of the spirit and aesthetic taste of the Tang Dynasty. Yan Zhenqing was created by the times, and Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy also reflected a prosperous Tang Dynasty with flesh and blood and extraordinary bearing.