The achievement of a calligrapher can be determined from three aspects: (1) the breadth of learning inscriptions. (2) The depth of traditional experience. (3) the height of thought. All three are very strong. If they are creative, they must be excellent calligraphers. Among them, the height of thought determines the cognition of art and also affects the level of achievement. The value of art lies in creation. Without creation, there is no artistic life. Tradition is the foundation of creation, and Shen's achievements are embodied in creation. There are often only a few styles of calligraphers in ancient and modern times. Shen's calligraphy style is diverse, and he is probably one of the few calligraphers in the history of calligraphy.
The essence of art lies in lyrical freehand brushwork, expressing individuality, and whether there is a unique style is the sign that distinguishes a calligrapher from a painter. Copying and repeating other people's personalities means that you have your own personality and style, and it is lazy to repeat your own style. It is the pursuit of creating every work. Shen's constant self-breakthrough, frequent injection of new book styles and constant change and development of styles are the remarkable points of Shen.
The breadth of Shen's study of calligraphy can be said to be that there is no monument and no post, which can be seen from his advocacy of "the unity of tablet and post" Each tablet has its own characteristics. It combines the past and the present, and eliminates the differences between North and South. It's no use learning too much to digest. To make a choice, you must have a high ideological level.
Shen failed to learn from Huanggu in his early years, but he learned from Zhong You in his middle age. Because the combination of inscriptions and inscriptions is advocated, and the school official monument is the key monument to communicate with the north and the south, it is useless to talk about the combination of inscriptions and inscriptions without a deep understanding of traditional calligraphy and a high level of cognition. Shen used two strokes to wash away the ordinary brush that had been used to write Cao Zhang for thousands of years. The height that the two kings have cursed for thousands of years and must find another way out is the factor of his success. He successfully created the calligraphy style of Fang Bi, a northern tablet school, and created a peculiar and beautiful calligraphy style. Ma Zonghuo said: "This is like the so-called cool breeze blowing the forest and spreading the grass in the west. The colors are extremely gorgeous and beautiful." Sha Menghai said: "Open an unprecedented fairyland in the world of books. 」
Where does the height of Shen Thought come from? Shen was a great scholar in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China, and his achievements in calligraphy were related to his knowledge. Kang Youwei and Wang Guowei are both famous figures, and the person they admire most is the knowledgeable Mr. Shen. Wang Guowei called it "a hundred schools of thought, and the second chapter ruled by history." "Wang Quchang said:" The teacher's calligraphy is magnificent and varied, which is actually from reading thousands of books. Calligraphers' personality temperament and aesthetic taste have great influence on calligraphy style. Personality temperament is influenced by study and upbringing. The so-called "temperament changes and knowledge is profound", and the aesthetic taste also changes and improves with the improvement of knowledge.
In his later years, Shen focused on scholarship and studied Confucianism, metaphysics, Taoism and Buddhism, and his aesthetic thoughts were also influenced by these schools. Confucian thoughts of benevolence, moderation and neutralization. Personal consciousness and free and easy charm of metaphysics in Wei and Jin Dynasties. Buddhist consciousness of "emptiness" and "nothingness" The concepts of "quietness" and "enlightenment" in Zen. Taoist thoughts of "inaction", "nature" and "distance elimination" They blend and penetrate each other, showing the phenomenon of compromise and integration. Penetrating the law is our law. Once you have an epiphany, there will be nothing and endless changes.
Shen's calligraphy works present diversified styles and characteristics, showing the idea of compromise and integration. Different materials with the same potential, different shapes in ancient and modern times, and the opening and closing pens are made by sticking strokes, and the middle of the tablet is thick. Horizontal painting is written in detail with the inside, and vertical painting is written in detail with the outside extension. The pen has the brushwork meaning of official script and Han bamboo slips, which deliberately saves the risk of writing and gives the characters greater freedom of shape independently. Fang Bi is not good at swearing, but the round pen is gentle and loses her enthusiasm for life. It is a unique way to bury the monument in the north and enter the grass. In the era of respecting monuments, he advocated the combination of monuments and stickers, and went further ideologically. It can be said that he swept away the cursive style of the Millennium since the reform of the two kings and revived the ancient book style with the meaning of cursive. People think that Han bamboo slips can communicate with all kinds of books.
Today, the combination of inscriptions and the writing of unearthed cultural relics (Qin and Han bamboo slips and silks) are still the two major creative mainstream in the book world.