It is called "Painting Praise" or "Image Praise" for short. No inscription, signed "Written to Wang Jingren on May 13, the twelfth year of Yonghe", passed down as Wang Xizhi's book, thirty-three lines. Chu Suiliang of the Tang Dynasty listed this post as third in the "Youjun Bibliography", after "Le Yi Lun" and "Huang Ting Jing".
Tao Hongjing of the Liang Dynasty mentioned this work in "Lun Shu Qi". Chu Suiliang of Tang Dynasty recorded Wang Xizhi's calligraphy in "Youjun Bibliography" and listed this post as the third volume of the main book. Xu Hao's "Records of Ancient Relics" records: On November 5, the fifth year of Xuanzong's Kaiyuan reign (717), the authentic works of the two kings, big and small, were collected, resulting in one hundred and fifty-eight volumes. Among them are three volumes of the King's official book, which ranks "Huang Ting Jing" first, "Painting Praise" second, and "Oath" third." However, Xu Hao believed that ""Painting Praise" is a forgery and not close to the truth." During the Tianbao period (742-755), Wang Xizhi's official books were particularly valuable, such as "Praise to Paintings", "Le Yi", "Huang Ting", "Tai Shi Zhen", "Lei Biao", "Oath", etc., but they were not completed into chapters. , which is a national treasure. During the Xuanhe period of the Song Dynasty (111-125), this calligraphy was collected by the Imperial Palace and recorded in Volume 15 of "Xuanhe Shupu". Among the available manuscripts, there are Tang Lin editions and engravings, but the characters are all missing and damaged. It is difficult to find the complete and well-circulated manuscript. The last line of this calligraphy contains the 15 words "Written to Wang Jingren on May 13, the twelfth year of Yonghe". "Praise to the Portrait of Dongfang Shuo" written by Yan Zhenqing, 36 lines, 30 words, in Ling County, Shandong. The seal script on the forehead of the stele reads "Mr. Dongfang, a great official in Han Taizhong, painted a tribute and prefaced it". It was established in Dezhou in December of the thirteenth year of Tianbao (754). Written by Hou Zhan of Jin Xia. The stele has 12 lines of Yang praise, 17 lines of Yin notes, and 30 characters in regular script.
At that time, Yan Zhenqing was forty-six years old, in the prime of life, with radiant energy and high spirits, which was cherished by future generations. Fresh, majestic and steep, it is one of Yan Zhenqing's early masterpieces. Su Dongpo once praised it highly, thinking that the stele "does not lose the clearness and distance between the characters. Later, when I saw Yi Shao's copy, I realized that the characters of Lu Gong were attached to this book. Although the size is similar to the size, the charm is good. It was not obtained from the book, and it was not changed. That’s why I say this.” There is a saying in the Ming Dynasty: "The calligraphy is steep and vigorous, and it is certainly the signature stroke of Lu Gong." Yan Zhenqing (709-784, one theory says 709-785), courtesy name Qingchen, Han nationality, was born in Jingzhao Wannian (now Xi'an, Shaanxi Province) of the Tang Dynasty, and his ancestral home Tang Langya Linyi (now Linyi, Shandong) was a calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty of China.
Yan Zhenqing is a descendant of the Langya family and has a profound family knowledge. Yan Zhitui, the sixth ancestor, is a famous scholar in the Northern Qi Dynasty and the author of "Yan Family Instructions". When Yan Zhenqing was young, his family was poor and lacked paper and pen, so he practiced calligraphy on the wall with a pen dipped in loess and water.
He first learned Chu Suiliang's writing style, and then learned his writing skills from Zhang Xu. He also absorbed the characteristics of the four schools of thought in the early Tang Dynasty, as well as the styles of seal script and official script of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He completed the creation of vigorous and broad Yan style regular script and established the Tang Dynasty style. A model of modern regular script.
His regular script is contrary to the calligraphy style of the early Tang Dynasty. He uses seal script to transform thin and hard into plump and powerful. The structure is broad and magnificent, and the bones are strong and majestic. This style also embodies the great style. The prosperous demeanor of the Tang Dynasty is consistent with his noble personality. It is an example of the perfect combination of the beauty of calligraphy and the beauty of personality.
His calligraphy style is called "Yan style", and together with Liu Gongquan, he is called "Yan Liu", and he is known as "Yan Jin Liu Gu". An outstanding calligrapher in the mid-Tang Dynasty. The "Yan style" regular script he founded is known as the "Four Masters of Regular Script" together with Zhao Mengfu, Liu Gongquan and Ouyang Xun. Together with Liu Gongquan, he is also known as "Yan Jin Liu Gu".