Calligraphy Art in Southern and Northern Dynasties (3)

Overview of Northern Wei Dynasty

The scuffle between the sixteen countries in Wuhu lasted for nearly a hundred years, ending with Tuoba's family. In 386 AD, the Northern Wei Dynasty was established, and the northern part of China was gradually unified. This situation lasted for 149 years, and in 534 AD, it was divided into Western Wei and Eastern Wei. These two dynasties only lasted for about 20 years in constant wars, that is, they went to extinction.

Followed by the Northern Qi Dynasty and the Northern Zhou Dynasty, two equally short-lived dynasties. Beiqi was founded in 550 AD and died in 577 AD. Then from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it only existed for 24 years. It perished in 58 1 and was replaced by the unified sui dynasty. The whole Northern Dynasty lasted 195 years.

Tuoba Hong, Emperor Xiaowen of Northern Wei Dynasty

Tuoba Hong, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, studied and promoted Chinese culture, which was a key to the emergence of a large number of Wei Bei. At the beginning of the founding of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he built a capital in Pingcheng for a long time, and did not pay much attention to the acceptance of Chinese culture. It was not until Emperor Xiaowen of Wei moved to Luoyang that he vigorously advocated Chinese culture and believed in Buddhism.

Calligraphy in the Northern Wei Dynasty can be divided into the period of Pingcheng, the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the period after Luoyang moved its capital. From the first year (398) of Emperor Tuoba (Jue), Emperor Daowu, to the eighteenth year of Taihe, Emperor Xiaowen established the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty in Pingcheng (now Datong City, Shanxi Province) in 494, which lasted for 96 years.

This is an important period for the Tuoba people of Xianbei to unify the northern part of China after a hundred years of anger, and it is also a period for the nomadic people to gradually sinicize in politics, economy and culture.

Epitaph of Fenghetu (Northern Wei Dynasty)

Stone Carvings in Yipingcheng Period

Calligraphy remains in Pingcheng period can be divided into three periods: early, middle and late. Early stone carvings inherited the calligraphy style of the Sixteen Kingdoms period, and there were official calligraphy inscriptions, such as the stone carving "Fairy Cave Zhu Wen" carved in Elunchun Autonomous Banner of Hulunbeier League in Inner Mongolia in 443 AD.

Later, another stone carving with the meaning of official script was the epitaph of Qin Wenji Chen in the fourth year of Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (474). This epitaph was unearthed in the eastern suburb of Datong 1965. It is a lady's epitaph. Writing and engraving are very serious, the strokes are multi-directional, the pen is sharp and the pen is sharp.

? The Epitaph of the Wind and the Map was carved in 504 AD, the first year of Wei Zhengshi, and was found in the western suburbs of Datong, Shanxi. 1980.

Although these works are in different places, the time is generally similar; Although the writers are different and their styles are different, they basically took off the official script and evolved into calligraphy close to the standard Weibei style, which is consistent.

Epitaph of Luozong (Northern Wei Dynasty)

Epitaph calligraphy after the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital to Luoyang.

Most of the mature epitaphs and inscriptions of Wei Bei in the Northern Dynasties are in Luoyang today. After Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty moved to Luoyang, all the dignitaries were buried in Mangshan to Yanshi shouyangshan after their deaths.

More than 200 epitaphs of the Northern Wei Dynasty have been unearthed in this area, and occasionally unearthed in other places. The famous epitaphs in this period include Zhang Heinv's epitaph, Diao Zun's epitaph, Cui's epitaph, Shiwan's epitaph, Li Mi's epitaph, Yuan Ying's epitaph, Yuan Huai's epitaph, Luo Zong's epitaph and so on.

This kind of epitaph is the best work in Weibei because of its noble owner status and exquisite and rigorous calligraphy art.

The epitaph of the Northern Wei Dynasty is characterized by the epitaph of a black woman, which is also favored by scholars. This post is mostly published, so I won't elaborate.

(Northern Wei Dynasty) Song Gaoling Temple Monument

Sanbeike calligraphy

The famous inscriptions in the Northern Dynasties include the tablet of Taizu's East Tour, the tablet of Song Gaoling Temple, the tablet of Huifu Temple, the tablet of Tiaobi Gan, the tablet of Zhang Menglong, the tablet of Gaoqing, the tablet of Jia Sibo, the tablet of Genzhu, the tablet of Gaozhen and the tablet of Tang Yong Scripture.

Among them, "Zhang Menglong Monument" is the most wonderful. This inscription has a famous saying, "Looking for stones everywhere, Wan Ren grows pine", and so is its calligraphy.

The writing structure of this monument is peculiar, and the brushwork is far from being comparable to other works in Wei Bei's works. The pitch of words is changeable, which mostly conforms to the golden section law of artistic structure. This writer's talent is unique and admirable.

Statue of Yang Dayan (Northern Wei Dynasty)

Four Longmen Statues

Shortly after Justin, Emperor Xiaowen of the Northern Wei Dynasty, moved to Luoyang from Pingcheng, he continued the spiritual pursuit of worshipping Buddha in the Northern Wei Dynasty, that is, he began to dig grottoes, Buddha statues and inscriptions in Longmen.

By the time of Xuan Wudi, the worship of Buddhism was more prosperous. There are more than 2,000 caves and niches in Longmen, Luoyang, of which the statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty account for about13, and there are more than 3,000 kinds of inscriptions, making Longmen an ancient forest of steles.

Among them, the statues belonging to the Northern Wei Dynasty are basically Wei Bei regular script. Twenty products of Longmen is one of the best products, all of which are works of the Northern Wei Dynasty. It can be called the essence of calligraphy art in the Northern Wei Dynasty, also known as "Longmen Style".

The "Longmen Twenty Products" are basically located in Guyang Cave, which is the earliest and largest cave excavated in Longmen Grottoes, and also the cave with the most concentrated statues of the royal family and nobles in the Northern Wei Dynasty. The so-called "Longmen Twenty Products", Guyang Dongzhan 19 products.

Among them, the so-called "four products of Longmen", such as portraits of Zheng Changyou, Ma Su and Cixiang, which have always been recognized by historians, are naive and rude.

Statue of Yang Dayan (Northern Wei Dynasty)

From the perspective of the history of calligraphy art, the North Monument is actually a transitional calligraphy style from Lishu to Tang Kai.

Compared with Nanba, the North Monument appears in regular script, and the outer circle is inside, which has its inherent development reasons. This is mainly for practical purposes, the inscription on the tablet should be solemn and easy to identify, and the knife carving requires it to have the characteristics of Fang Bi, which is beneficial to the play of the knife, thus forming the overall characteristics of the North Tablet.

The above words are from the History of Ancient Calligraphy Art in China, and will be deleted if there is any infringement.