Zhang Xu, Huai Su, etc.
1. Zhang Xu
Zhang Xu (685? - 759?), also known as Bogao and Jiming, was born in Wuxian County, Suzhou (now Suzhou, Jiangsu Province) in the Tang Dynasty He was a calligrapher who was good at cursive writing and liked to drink. He was known as "Zhang Dian" in the world, and together with Huai Su, he was also known as "Dian Zhang Zuisu".
Together with He Zhizhang, Zhang Ruoxu, and Bao Rong, he is known as the "Four Scholars in Wuzhong", and together with He Zhizhang and others, he is also known as the "Eight Immortals in Drinking". His cursive script is considered to be the same as Li Bai's poems and Pei Min's sword dance. Called the "Three Wonders".
Zhang Xu came from a high background and once learned calligraphy from his uncle Lu Yanyuan. After he became successful, he was admired by Wu Daozi, Yan Zhenqing and others. When he was older, he became an official through application or recommendation, and was promoted to Changshu. County captain.
He successively served as the chief historian of Zuo rate and the chief historian of Jinwu, so he was called "Zhang Changshi" by the world. He died in about the second year of Qianyuan (759) at the age of about seventy-five.
In terms of calligraphy, Zhang Xu is diligent in observing objective things, and is good at combining objective natural objects with personal subjective emotions. He not only inherits tradition, but also has the courage to innovate. He inherits the calligraphy achievements of his predecessors and innovates to make him famous. His own Kuangcao art reached a peak during the prosperous Tang Dynasty.
2. Huaisu
Huaisu (737-799), whose common surname was Qian and whose courtesy name was Zangzhen, was from Lingling, Yongzhou (now Lingling, Hunan). A calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, he was famous for his "crazy grass" and was known as the "Sage of Grass" in history.
He became a monk since he was a child. In his spare time, he practiced Zen and loved calligraphy. He was as famous as Zhang Xu and was collectively known as "Dian Zhang Kuang Su". This formed a situation where the two peaks of calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty coexisted, and they were also the two peaks in the history of Chinese cursive calligraphy. Peak. Huaisu's cursive calligraphy is thin and vigorous, with natural flying movements, like a sudden rain and whirlwind, changing at any time.
Calligraphy is straightforward, ever-changing, and full of rules. Li Zhimin, a professor at Peking University and the founder of introducing monuments to cursive scripts, commented: "Huaisu's cursive script has a graceful spirit in its rush and ease, and an air of simplicity in its wildness." ?
The calligraphy works handed down from generation to generation include "Autobiography Calligraphy", "Bitter Bamboo Shoots Calligraphy", "Notre Dame Calligraphy", "Lun Shu Calligraphy" and "Xiaocao Qianwen".
Extended information:
Introduction to representative works:
1. "Four References to Ancient Poems"
"Four References to Ancient Poems" was written in the Tang Dynasty Calligraphy works created by Zhang Xu. The strokes throughout the text are full and there are no weak or slippery strokes. The writing is ups and downs, intertwined with movement and stillness, and the paper is filled with clouds of smoke. It is truly the pinnacle of cursive writing.
2. "Zi Xu Tie"
"Zi Xu Tie" is a cursive calligraphy created by Huai Su, a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty, in the eleventh or twelfth year of the Tang Dynasty (776 or 777). The work is a volume of ink on paper. It is now collected in the National Palace Museum in Taipei.
"Autobiography" is Huaisu's self-narration of his life in general, and it also contains poems written by Yan Zhenqing, Zhang Wei, Dai Shulun and others. The whole article is written in wild cursive style, with the center of each stroke drawing like a cone scratching a sand table, vertically, horizontally and diagonally, going in all directions.
The whole volume emphasizes the continuous grass flow. The brush strokes turn up and down, left and right, ups and downs, fast and fast, light and heavy, all within the rules and regulations, with strange changes and turbulent expressions. It is actually the ultimate expression of the art of cursive writing.
"Zi Xu Tie" has been a popular calligraphy in the field of cursive script since the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties. It has connected the past and the future in the history of Chinese cursive script and has a profound influence in the field of calligraphy art. It is Huaisu's longest work handed down and is known as "the best cursive script in the world".
Baidu Encyclopedia - Cursive Script