(A) the influence of the times and family
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, art began to awaken, which was first manifested in human awakening. At that time, some elites or literati were dissatisfied with the dull social status quo. At that time, the awakening of aristocratic culture injected great vitality into Wang Xizhi's artistic activities. The culture of the gentry is based on the premise of opposing the imprisonment of Confucianism and divination, and the whole thought is free and liberated. Their words and deeds are characterized by attaching importance to feelings, individuality, spiritual demeanor and temperament charm. They often stay away from the imperial court, wander between mountains and rivers, and seek freedom and happiness in nature. Ceng Gong's "Mo Chi Ji" "Fang Xi can't be a strong official, but tastes the extreme east and goes out to sea to entertain the hearts of mountains and rivers." He is wandering around. Although at that time, they raised their hands and brushed away the dust and spoke metaphysically, they actually gave back to nature with the words of Laozi and Zhuangzi to show their talents and taste each other's elegance; They seem to be reclusive and passive, but in fact they have opened up a new field of natural beauty. This unconventional exquisite, refined words and deeds, detached and simple artistic style, is the aesthetic ideal of that era, that is, the so-called "Wei and Jin demeanor." Calligraphy externalizes people's spiritual world in an abstract form, that is, it expresses people's spirit as a carrier, thus unifying the detached spirit with a beautiful and pleasing form. Therefore, he has become the most ideal way to embody the calligrapher's aesthetic exquisiteness. Writing in Wei and Jin dynasties is no longer just a monument, but the best form to express feelings with chanting feelings. It is said that the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were an era of artistic awakening. It has three signs: creative prosperity, the emergence of a large number of highly skilled calligraphers, and the high level of calligraphy theory.
Wang Xizhi's life: Wang Xizhi, a native of Linyi, Shandong Province, was 303-36 1 59 years old.
The success of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy benefits from his unique conditions. The Wang family occupies a prominent position in politics. Wang Xizhi's grandfather Wang Zheng is a businessman. Uncle Wang Cheng was appointed as the secretariat of Jingzhou. My father Kuang was the prefect of Huainan and Danyang, and once participated in the imperial plan. He was one of the planners of Jin Dynasty's southward migration, especially his subordinate uncle Wang Dun and his father (uncle) Wang Dao. Wang Dun is the secretariat of Yangzhou, and Jingzhou and Yangzhou played a great role in the process of crossing the south in the Jin Dynasty, because they were important cities for the defense of the Yangtze River. After Wang Dun, he served as the servant of the Prime Minister, while Wang Guide served as a teacher and worshipped the Prime Minister. From the father, the king, to the south general, Jingzhou secretariat. In the Wangs, there are more than 20 people who hold important positions, from generals and ministers to prime ministers. At that time, there was a saying that "Wang and Ma (referring to the Sima family) were * * * the world". In addition, the Wang family is famous for its talented calligraphers. His father Wang Kuang is good at calligraphy. Chen Si's Letters in Song Dynasty said that he was kind and obedient. Tao's Book History Society in the Ming Dynasty said: "When it comes to the Wei family, it is the best in the world, and it must be written by Mrs. Wei to teach." Wang Xizhi received a good artistic influence from primary school and his family education was very strict. According to historical records, he began to learn calligraphy at the age of seven. According to the Chronicle of Shu Lin, when Wang Xizhi was twelve years old, he saw the old ghost book under his father's pillow and secretly read it again. ..... Broaden the outline of the language, and Xihe's academic performance is also close. When Mrs. Wei saw Taichang, she said, "This son must be able to use a pen. A closer look at his book will give him wisdom in his age. He said with tears, "This book will cover my title. "Xihe studied under Wang Bodun", "inherited family style, vigorous brushwork" and "Xuanhe calligraphy". Wang Xizhi learned ICBC and cursive script from his father (uncle) Wang Dao (276-339). The teacher of Xi studied with his father Wang Kun (276-322) and achieved the highest achievement in calligraphy. " Can seal the letter, willing to pass the bell method "(Yang Xin's" Selected Names of Ancient and Modern Energy Books "). After losing his father, Wang Xizhi has been taken care of and trained by him. Wang Sengqian said: "Since crossing the Jiangdong River, before the right army, I was the best. Warwick was the founder of Ming Dynasty, and the book was the right army law. "Side by side, I said:" Wang Kui is the teacher of the right army "(book). Among the famous paintings made by Zhang Yanyuan in the Tang Dynasty, there are Wang Xun's original words: "My disciples learn it, and when they are young, they will certainly enrich the structure of the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of this year, in addition to studying art, you can read calligraphy and painting, and you will be asked to draw. "
(b) Education of two calligraphy masters
He studied under the famous calligrapher Wei at that time. Mrs. Wei (272-349), whose real name is Maoyi, was the wife of Li Jue, Emperor Taizong of Ruyin, and was known as Mrs. Wei in the world. Hedong Anyi (now Fuxian County, Shanxi Province) people. The Wei family is a famous family in Weimen, and has been good at calligraphy for generations. Mrs. Wei "works are good at calligraphy, especially official script." Pen Map was handed down by Mrs. Wei. Although the article is short, it involves many problems, such as writing tools, writing, reading posts, brushwork, written test, pen meaning and so on. Their brief introduction and description are still enlightening to today's learners and instructive to calligraphy teaching. There are many records about Wang Xizhi learning from Mrs. Wei. Wang Xizhi's "After Mrs. Wei's Paintings" said: "I want to learn from Mrs. Wei less." Yang Xin's "Taking the Names of Ancient Books" said: "Jinzhong Li has no mother and wife, and is good at the clock method. He is the teacher of Wang Yi." "Nanyou" said: "One of Wei's disciples, Wang, is very aggressive and can learn real books. His written test is accurate and his font is charming. "
Wang Xun and Mrs Wei come down in one continuous line in Zhong You, and they are famous all over the world, while Zhong You is the greatest calligrapher before Wang Xizhi. Wang Xizhi can learn calligraphy from these two great calligraphers, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people. This is the unique condition for Wang Xizhi to become the greatest calligrapher in China.
(C) to meet the critical period of the evolution of Chinese characters
Through artistic means, Wang Xizhi formed an independent mechanism of truth, line and grass of Chinese characters, that is, Chinese characters completely broke away from the stereotype of ancient law and ancient shape influenced by official script and moved towards a new life. Wei-Jin period is not only a period of multi-body development of China's calligraphy, but also a period of promoting transformation: except that official script continues to maintain the stylized style at the end of Han Dynasty, regular script has gradually matured; Cursive script also developed into this kind of grass after Cao Zhang's period; Running script is developed and matured in the gradual change of official script. At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, official script was generally replaced by regular script, which was the inevitable result of the gradual evolution of Chinese characters. Because the law of calligraphy development is a process from complexity to simplicity, which is the need of people's life and determined by social development. The official script of Wei and Jin dynasties embarked on the road of stylization, and its artistic charm declined. It's not convenient to draw the pen up and make a potential difference, which is different from the direction of direct writing. It is inevitable to be replaced by regular script. At this time, Zhong You's regular script is mature and very quaint. The so-called quaint is also a little official meaning. At that time, although cursive script had begun to take shape, it was branded as a book to varying degrees. Wang Xizhi's outstanding contribution is that he can create a new generation of styles at the turning point of history. He "added damage to the ancient law and cut it to the present." Zhang Huaiguan's "Shu Duan" removes the traces of official script in three-part painting, structure and composition. Push regular script and running script to maturity. It was Wang Xizhi who grasped the pulse of calligraphy development and promoted the sudden change of Song style in the process of gradual change of calligraphy style. This opportunity comes once in a blue moon. It needs both historical opportunities and superhuman wisdom, extraordinary courage and outstanding creativity. Therefore, when Wang Xizhi linked his artistic activities with one of the most important turning points in China's calligraphy history, it produced a result far greater than his subjective consciousness.
(D) the improvement of paper, pen and ink writing tools
The development of any art in the world is always closely related to the tools it uses. Compared with the Han Dynasty, the writing tools in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties have been greatly improved. Although paper was invented in the Han Dynasty, it could not be mass-produced and widely used, so in the Western Jin Dynasty, wooden slips were still used in many places. After Si Marui crossed the river, the Eastern Jin regime was established, and the political, cultural and economic centers moved south. The Eastern Jin regime was supported by the gentry in the north and south, and the society was relatively stable. With the development of productive forces, the rattan paper from Wan Li was produced in Tunxi, with excellent quality. There is also hemp paper with hemp as raw material, which also provides high-quality writing materials for writing. It is reported that Wang Xizhi once presented 90,000 pieces of paper to Xie An, which shows that the use of paper was quite popular at that time. Constant temperature once ordered yellow paper to replace bamboo slips, which also promoted calligraphy. At that time, the pen-making industry also developed greatly. Jia Sixie's "Qi De" recorded the writing method. He chose cotton wool and green wool to make it both rigid and soft, so it was handy to use. There were "moustaches" and "chicken distance" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The Book of Bijing says that both Zhong You and Wang Xizhi used a parallel pen. The Lanting Collection in Fallow's book says that Wang Xizhi's Preface to Lanting uses cocoon paper and moustache, and his calligraphy is beautiful and vigorous, which is unparalleled. For a long time, people mistakenly thought that cocoon paper was woven from silkworm cocoons. Later, according to experts' research, this paper is still a kind of plant fiber paper, white and bright, so it is named after cocoon paper. At that time, the ink industry also developed rapidly. Yishui, Hebei Province is rich in ink, and Wang Sengqian praised it in the Southern Dynasties: "Paper is easy to ink, with a straight heart and thick pulp. It can be famous all over the world if it is made in Liqi." ("Pen Yi Zan")
(5) the emperor's attention and admiration
The prosperity and development of calligraphy is often accompanied by an important condition, that is, the emperor likes calligraphy. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to Song, Qi, Liang and Chen, there were 48 emperors, 28 of whom were calligraphers. The emperor's liking for calligraphy itself is a kind of guidance.
The person who really established Wang Xizhi's position was Emperor Taizong. Li Shimin made great contributions to China's calligraphy. He loved Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, and at the same time regarded the culture of the Southern Dynasties as authentic. At the beginning of the founding of the People's Republic of China, he regarded calligraphy as a part of culture. Emperor Taizong also personally wrote the biography of Wang Xizhi, which is a tribute to the biography of Wang Xizhi in the Book of Jin. When comparing Wang Xizhi with Zhong You, Wang Xianzhi and Xiao Ziyun, Emperor Taizong gave great affirmation to Wang Xizhi's calligraphy achievements. He praised Xizhi's "careful observation of ancient and modern times, careful study of seal elements, and perfection, which is rare for Wang Yi!" Pushed Wang Xizhi above all calligraphers. It is very rare for the emperor to preach for calligraphers in history. Thanks to the vigorous advocacy of Emperor Taizong, Wang Xizhi's calligraphy became authentic, and the atmosphere of "respecting the king" was formed all over the world. And has had a far-reaching impact on future generations.
The earliest person who called Wang Xizhi a book saint was Li Simiao in the Tang Dynasty. He praised him in "The Later Book": "The right army is like the health of Yin and Yang in the four seasons, and it can be described as a book saint; If the grass, the miscellaneous body is like a breeze, and the moon is pregnant ... It can be said that the grass is also holy; It' s white, the misty Fu You Valley is rolling, and the smoke is burning ... It' s a fairy of flying white. " The title of "book saint" can be seen from this.
Calligraphy in Wei and Jin Dynasties was the most glorious period of China's calligraphy, and various calligraphy styles appeared one after another, especially regular script and running script, which are still the most commonly used calligraphy styles.
A large number of outstanding calligraphers emerged as the times require, just like the stars shining in the starry sky of traditional calligraphy art in China. Among them, the brightest and brightest is Wang Xizhi, who is called "the saint of calligraphy" by later buddhas.