Wang Xianzhi (344-386), also known as Zijing, was also a minor official slave. When he reached Zhongshu Ling, he and his father Wang Xizhi were called "two kings" in calligraphy. After Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi created a more graceful calligraphy style. Zhang Huaijin of the Tang Dynasty said: "The father's spiritual harmony and the son's divine handsomeness are both unique in ancient and modern times."
Zi Jing learned from his father when he was young, followed by Zhang Zhi, and he learned calligraphy when he was five or six years old. , his father lurked behind him, yanked his pen hard, but he didn't pull it away, and sighed: "He will be famous." He used him as a model to write "Le Yi Lun". After learning, he was able to write very small regular script. His handed down ink writings include "Mid-Autumn Tie", "December Tie", "Yatou Wan Tie", "Twenty-nine Day Tie", "Thirteen Lines on the Jade Edition" and so on. "Thirteen Lines on the Jade Edition" is Wang Xianzhi's representative work in small regular script. It is known as the "extreme standard of small regular script". The strokes are elegant and straight, and the knots are Xiao Sanyiyan. It is thoughtful and thoughtful, and has been famous for thousands of years. "Twenty-nine Days Tie" is different from other ink writings. The style of this post is a mixture of regular script, running script, and cursive script, which is particularly harmonious. It has the style of expressive calligraphy and free expression of feelings. "Mid-Autumn Tie" is known as the ancestor of "one-stroke calligraphy". It has been passed down from generation to generation that Zhang Zhi's "one-stroke calligraphy" was the only one who mastered the unique method of "one-stroke calligraphy" in Jin Dynasty. The free and flowing brushwork is breathtaking.
Biography of the characters
Tang Yin's "Picture of Wang Xianzhi Hughing Xi Daomao to Marry Princess Xin'an" Wang Xianzhi, courtesy name Zijing, a minor official slave, was the seventh son of the right-wing general Wang Xizhi. He has little reputation, is extraordinary, unrestrained and unrestrained. Although he lives at home all day long, his appearance and behavior are not lazy, and his talent and bearing are beyond those of his time.
He once visited the famous scholar Xie An with his brothers Wang Huizhi and Wang Caozhi. The two brothers talked mostly about worldly affairs, but Wang Xianzhi only said a few casual greetings. After leaving Xie's house, a guest asked Xie An about the merits of the Wang brothers, and Xie An said: "The younger one is the best." When the guest asked why, Xie An replied: "Generally, outstanding people are taciturn, because they don't talk much. So I knew he was extraordinary." Then he married Xi Daomao, the daughter of Xi Tan, the general of Beizhong Lang.
Wang Xianzhi initially served as the prefectural registrar and secretary, and then became the secretary. Later, he was selected as the consort of Princess Sima Daofu of Xin'an, but he was unable to resign repeatedly, so he divorced Xi Daomao. Xie An, who was already in power, respected Wang Xianzhi very much and asked him to serve as his long history.
In the fifth year of Taiyuan (380), Xie An became a general of the Wei Dynasty for his merit, and Wang Xianzhi still served as his chief minister. Soon after, he was appointed General Jianwei and Grand Administrator of Wuxing, and was conscripted into the DPRK as Zhongshu Ling.
After Xie An died of illness in the tenth year of Taiyuan (385), there were different opinions among the officials regarding the etiquette of his benefaction. Only Wang Xianzhi and Xu Miao praised Xie An for his contribution to the court. Loyalty and merit. Wang Xian wrote a letter to state Xie An's achievements, and Emperor Xiaowu of Jin Dynasty presented Xie An with a grand ceremony.
Wang Xianzhi became ill after taking powder for a long time. In order to avoid marrying Princess Xin'an, he moxibustioned his feet, which caused sequelae. In the eleventh year of Taiyuan (386), he died of illness at the age of forty-three.
In the first year of Long'an (397), Wang Xianzhi's queen Shen'ai (namely Queen Anxi of Jin'an) was established as the queen. Emperor An posthumously gave Wang Xianzhi the titles of Shizhong, Tejin, Guanglu Doctor, and Dazai. His posthumous title is "Xian".
Main influence
Wang Xianzhi’s calligraphy art throughout his life was not conservative, and unlike his father, he liked to have long characters. Wang Xianzhi comes from a well-educated family and is diligent in his studies. His poetry and calligraphy were a rising star in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His cursive calligraphy is skillful, graceful, and graceful, no less than that of his father Wang Xizhi, and father and son are collectively called the Two Kings.
Wang Xianzhi followed his father to practice calligraphy since he was a child. He had great ambitions. Later, he took Zhang Zhi as his calligraphy and became one. He is famous for his running script and cursive script, but he also has profound skills in regular script and official script. Because Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty did not appreciate his works very much, his works did not survive as much as his father's works. The handed down masterpiece "Thirteen Lines of Luo Shen Fu" is also known as "Thirteen Lines of Jade Edition". The predecessors commented on Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy as "the phoenix dances in the elixir cave and the dragon leaps in the clear spring. It is precise and skillful and comes from the wisdom". His writing style changed from "internal expansion" to "external expansion".
His cursive writing is even more praised. Yu Zhuo once said: "Cursive script descended from Zhang Zhi of the Han Dynasty. The master of wonderful people and gods is just an official slave." His handed down cursive calligraphy treasures include "Yatou Wan Tie" and "Mid-Autumn Tie", etc., all of which are Tang copies. His " "Yatou Wan Tie", cursive, 15 characters, silk. Wu Qizhen of the Qing Dynasty highly praised this calligraphy in his "Book of Calligraphy and Painting", saying: "(This calligraphy) is elegant and upright, majestic and astonishing, with natural and interesting features, and is of supreme quality.
"His "Mid-Autumn Tie" is written in cursive, with a total of twenty-two characters. It looks like new and has auspicious light, which is rare in the world. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty included it in "Three Xi Tie" and regarded it as a "national treasure".
Like his father, Wang Xianzhi's study of calligraphy is not limited to studying one subject, but is a comprehensive study of various schools. Therefore, he can create his own uniqueness on the basis of "taking into account the strengths of all schools and integrating the beauty of all styles". His style finally achieved the same artistic status as Wang Xizhi's. The teaching and guidance laid a solid foundation for his brushwork. Since he was a latecomer among the famous artists in the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it objectively provided him with the opportunity to learn from the strengths of all the masters and master the beauty of all styles, and he won a good relationship with Wang Xizhi. Juxtaposed artistic status and reputation. Xie An once asked him: "How does your calligraphy compare with that of your father?" "Wang Xianzhi said: "Of course they are different, each has its own strengths. "Xie An said: "Others say this is not the case. Wang Xianzhi said: "How can others know?" "
Wang Xianzhi also created the "one-stroke calligraphy", which changed his father's unconnected grass into connected grass, often with consecutive numbers. Because of his heroic and magnificent calligraphy, he is valued by the world. .
The regular scripts of Wang Xianzhi and his son are famous throughout the world. Calligraphers from the Tang and Song dynasties wrote in regular scripts with strict and beautiful styles, which are truly immortal and passed down through the ages. An indelible attraction. Huan Xuan loved the calligraphy of his father and son, so he made two book bags containing their calligraphy and paintings respectively, and placed them on the left and right for appreciation.
From the late Jin Dynasty to the Liang Dynasty. For a century and a half, his influence even surpassed that of his father Wang Xizhi. Liang calligrapher and painter Yuan Ang said in "Ancient and Modern Book Reviews": "Zhang Zhi is amazed, Zhong Yao is unique, Yi Shaoding is capable, and he is the best in the world." "The four sages were called together. The person with the highest status in calligraphy between Song and Qi Dynasty once recommended Wang Xianzhi. He surpassed his father, became a saint from humble beginnings, and was called the "Two Kings" together with his father. Liang Tao Hongjing's "Discussing the Book with Emperor Wu of Liang" says: "Everyone in the world respects the book." The same goes for Yu Yishao." At that time, Wang Xianzhi almost became the world. It was not until the Tang Dynasty, when Emperor Taizong tried his best to praise Wang Xizhi and belittle Wang Xianzhi that some calligraphy critics began to think that Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy was not as good as his father Wang Xizhi. But the calligraphy of the Northern Song Dynasty Jia Mifu mainly learned from Wang Xianzhi. Hu Xiaoshi, a famous modern scholar and calligrapher, even believed that the "kuangcao" of Zhang Xu and Huaisu's school was developed from Wang Xianzhi's cursive calligraphy. In the "Shu Appraisal", his calligraphy was ranked first, and his calligraphy was ranked fourth, running script second, chapter cursive first, and cursive script third. His Fei Bai calligraphy was rated as divine, and his eight-point calligraphy was listed as Nengpin. Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy is classified as top-grade in "Shupin" by Yu Jianwu, while Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy is classified as top-grade in "Fashu Kao".
Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy is rarely preserved. , the number is far less than that of Wang Xizhi, because Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty demoted him and did not buy his works. "Only the calligraphy of Wang Xianzhi in the inner palace remains", and the calligraphy of "Two Kings", Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty, is also mentioned. Paying attention to calligraphy and ink, he purchased the ink of famous officials of the ancient emperors and ordered the king to copy and engrave ten volumes. This is the famous "Chunhua Pavilion Notes": "Every minister who visits the second house will be given this gift." "Half of the calligraphy is the work of the "two kings". There are seventy-three pieces of Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy alone, and more than 20 pieces have been verified by later generations to be forgeries or written by others. During the Xuanhe period of the Northern Song Dynasty, Song Huizongya Thanks to Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy, the collection of Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy in "Xuanhe Shupu" has increased to more than eighty. However, most of these ink copies have not been preserved. There are only seven ink copies left, and they are all copies. There are still some authentic engravings from past dynasties.