Preface to Lanting is a running script, but from its beautiful running script font, we can feel the completeness of the opening method in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and the opening strength is implied in the beautiful running script.
The regular script in the Southern Dynasties was very developed, but judging from the biography of Wang Xizhi, its outstanding achievement was obviously cursive. Compared with the Han, Wei and Western Jin Dynasties, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy style is characterized by exquisite brushwork and changeable structure.
In the past, calligraphy styles were all learned from Gu Zhuo, such as Pingfu Post, but Wang Xizhi was able to lead his calligraphy skills from purely unnatural to more gorgeous and exquisite, which was relatively "charming" compared with Gu Zhuo. Combining this charming book style with the beautiful scenery described in Preface to Lanting, there is a subtle realm of harmony between man and nature.
Characteristics of Preface to Lanting;
The calligraphy of Preface to Lanting conforms to the most basic aesthetic view of traditional calligraphy: "The style is not flashy, the quality is not wild, and the style is gentle." His brushwork combines rigidity with softness, his lines are flexible, his stippling is concise, his book style is based on dispersion, and he has the aesthetic feeling of respect, concession and comparison, which has become a model of "the beauty of neutralization". Appreciating the Preface to Lanting will give you an extraordinary artistic enjoyment.