Hua Shikui (1863 ~ 1942), whose real name is human, is also called Simen. People from Wuxi, Jiangsu. Famous calligrapher in modern times. Hua Jia is one of the "Eight Masters" in Tianjin. Hua Shikui was a juren in Guangxu period and served as cabinet minister in Qing Dynasty. Later, in the name of relatives in the province, he abandoned his official position, lived in seclusion in Tianjin, regarded himself as a pure man, and entertained himself with poetry and calligraphy. Hua Shikui is very concerned about Tianjin's cultural undertakings. He and Yan Xiu set up a chemical society and managed it. He also presided over the Confucius Temple for a long time. Regular script is the best calligraphy, ranking first among the four great calligraphers in modern Tianjin (Hua Shikui, Meng Guanghui, Yan Xiu and Zhao Yuanli). He is the author of Poems of Thinking Dark and published Hua Shikui's Filial Piety in Kinmen.
Get Yan Zhenqing's brawn
In the 1920s, Hua Shikui inscribed the large-character plaque "Tianjin Quanyechang", which was thick and steady, not only added luster to the shopping mall, but also kept himself in the gossip topic of Tianjin people for a long time. However, there are two completely different versions of the scene description when he wrote those words. In some folklore, folk art programs and TV dramas, there is a plot of "Hua Shikui drunk writing to persuade shopping malls". Hua Shikui's cousin Hua Zexian thinks this is "nonsense". He said in the article "Tianjin Hua Shikui" that Hua Shikui always looked down on businessmen, and he didn't drink with them. Besides, when he wrote "Tianjin Quanyechang", he had been abstaining from drinking for many years. "At that time, I didn't understand the technology of zooming in and out. I can write as many words as I need. It is written by putting three square tables together and spreading out paper. Hua Shikui writes every word in one go, slowly but surely. In the meantime, he took a break to drink tea and smoked a few opium cigarettes. " Because Hua Shikui doesn't often write such big-character posters, Hua Zexian and other sons and nephews are present to observe when writing, so his words should be credible. Hua Shikui was a juren in the late Qing Dynasty, and served as Ge Cheng who wrote abdication letters for the Qing emperor. An orthodox feudal bureaucrat like him, although he used to swear for a living, would never "write drunk" in public. In addition, those heavy and steady official books don't look like they were written by drunkards.
Judging from Hua Shikui's small letters, he successfully studied Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy. His handwriting is elegant and mellow, and he has a certain personal style. People's comments on "Hua Shikui's brawn and Qian Nanyuan's strength" are quite insightful. Hua Shikui's calligraphy has a pavilion flavor, but its connotation is not rich enough under the appearance of exquisite forging skills.
Hua Shikui calligraphy copper ink box
Fan Hua Shi Kui [Calligraphy]