Ou Yangxun 1
Ou Yangxun was a calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty and one of the four great writers in the early Tang Dynasty. Because his son Ouyang Tong is also good at calligraphy, he also called Ou Yangxun "Great Europe" for the sake of distinction. His regular script font is beautiful and neat, and it has become the object that later calligraphers often imitate.
Ou Yangxun's masterpiece is The Inscription of Liquan in Jiucheng Palace. His works are characterized by rigorous brushwork, strong and thin, rough bones, dignified and steady brushwork, restrained brushwork and skillful skills, showing a sense of calmness and sophistication. It can be said that it is suitable for all ages and is a classic in regular script.
2. Yan Zhenqing
Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy is called "Yan Ti", and Liu Gongquan's calligraphy is also called "Yan Liu Jin Gu" by the world. Yan Zhenqing's handwriting is round, vigorous and steady, which was very prosperous in the Tang Dynasty.
Yan Zhenqing was a calligrapher and politician in the Tang Dynasty. His greatest achievement is to get rid of the elegant calligraphers in China and create a calligraphy style with rich fonts.
3. Liu Gongquan
Liu Gongquan was a famous calligrapher in Tang Dynasty. He was an official in the Seven Dynasties and was named Prince, Chief of Hedong and Prince of Taibao, so he was called "Liu".
The biggest difference between his calligraphy and other famous Tang Kai writers is the strength of his bones, which gives people a tough feeling and his brushwork is very indulgent. Liu style is a very special font, which is very suitable for inscription. It looks like a perfect calligraphy on the stone tablet, thin and beautiful, but it is not easy to write again in this way.
4. Zhao Mengfu
Zhao Mengfu was a famous calligrapher in Yuan Dynasty, a famous calligrapher, painter and poet from the end of Southern Song Dynasty to the beginning of Yuan Dynasty. He is a descendant of the King of Qin and the 11th grandson of Zhao.
His Zhao Ti style tends to be flat, with rounded strokes and square frames. Skimming, painting, horizontal comparison and stretching, and horizontal expansion of potential words. Borrowing running scripts, some words are beautiful and moving between running scripts.
Character controversy:
In the history of calligraphy, four great calligraphers, Su, Huang, Mi and Cai, are typical representatives of the calligraphy style in Song Dynasty. Among the "Song Sijia", the top three are Su Shi (Dongpo), Huang Tingjian (Fu Weng) and Mi Fei (Xiangyang Manshi).
Judging from the style of calligraphy, Su Shi is full of ups and downs and innocence; Huang tingjian rises vertically and horizontally, hiding and pulling; Miffy is handsome, bold, calm and happy. They were all good at learning from the ancients, full of innovative spirit and unique book style, and were highly respected by people at that time. They are listed in four schools, and there is no objection to this. Who "Cai" refers to has always been controversial, but it ranks at the bottom of the four schools.
It is generally believed that Cai refers to Cai Xiang (). His calligraphy adopts the method of Jin and Tang dynasties and pays attention to the ancient meaning and statutes. Its block letters are dignified and steady, its running script is beautiful, and its cursive script adopts the method of flying white, which is called "scattered grass", which is self-contained and very beautiful. Song Renzong especially loved his books, and once wrote an inscription by Uncle Wang Longxi as a birthday letter, and "warmed the book and made it a monument for his father" (Biography of Cai Xiang, a Song Dynasty poet).
Cai Xiang's calligraphy art was also valued by scholars at that time. Huang Tingjian once said: Both Cai and Ouyang Xiu (Collected Works of the Valley) said: "Mo Jun lives alone in the world, but refuses to lead the alliance with humility." (Ouyang Wenzhong's public collection)
Su Wu pointed out in Dongpo's inscription: "Cai Cai is highly knowledgeable, has a corresponding heart and hand, and has changed endlessly, ranking first in this dynasty." Since it is "the first" and since its calligraphy has always been the "main league", it should be well-deserved to be listed as the four major schools.