Yan is Yan Zhenqing, Liu is Liu Gongquan, Zhao is Zhao Mengfu, and Ou is Ouyang Xun. Yan Liu is what people call Yan Jin Liu Gu
Zhong refers to Zhong Yao, Wang refers to Wang Xizhi, Yan refers to Yan Zhenqing, and Liu refers to Liu Gongquan
Yan Zhenqing (709～785) Tang Dynasty of China calligrapher. The courtesy name is Qingchen, a native of Jingzhao Wannian (now Xi'an City, Shaanxi Province), and his ancestral home is Langya Linyi (now Linyi City, Shandong Province). During the Kaiyuan period (713-741), he won the Jinshi examination and was admitted to the Imperial College. He was appointed as the supervisory censor four times and moved to the palace to serve as the censor. He was an upright person and was rejected by the powerful Yang Guozhong, so he served as the governor of Pingyuan. An Lushan rebelled, and Yan Zhenqing joined forces with his cousin Changshan Prefect Yan Gaoqing to resist in the plains. Seventeen counties in Hebei responded one after another and were promoted as the leader of the alliance. Later Yan Gaoqing and nephew Yan Jiming were killed by An Lushan. Yan Zhenqing wrote the famous "Manuscript of Memorial to Nephew Jiming" with grief and indignation. During the reign of Emperor Suzong, he went to Fengxiang to be granted the title of Shangshu of the Ministry of Constitution and was promoted to the imperial censor. During the reign of Emperor Daizong, he was granted the title of Duke of Lu County, so later generations also called him Duke of Yan Lu. Because Yan Zhenqing was honest and straightforward, and dared to speak out his opinions, he was jealous of Yu Qi during Dezong's reign. When Li Xilie rebelled, Yu Qi sent envoy Yan Zhenqing to persuade him to surrender. However, he was constantly threatened by Li Xilie. Yan Zhenqing refused to give in and rebuked Li Xilie, but was killed in prison by Li Xilie. Later generations compiled "Collected Works of Yan Lugong".
Yan Zhenqing was studious and talented in literature since he was a child. His calligraphy was influenced by his family and his maternal ancestors, the Yin family. At the same time, he received guidance from Zhang Xu. He also extensively learned from famous calligraphers of the past dynasties such as Cai Yong, Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Chu Suiliang and others absorbed the nutrients, and through integration, they created a unique style that is outstanding, majestic, vigorous and majestic. It is called Yan style and became a great calligrapher representing the Tang Dynasty. His calligraphy played a significant role in the history of the development of Chinese calligraphy. The role of inheriting the past and linking the future has a great influence on later calligraphy. Yan Zhenqing's regular script has a solemn and majestic style. He uses a light horizontal stroke and a heavy vertical stroke. His strokes are powerful and thick; the structure is upright and dense, and the square is round. The vertical strokes are slightly curved in the middle, with softness and elasticity in the middle. The strokes are heavy and strong enough in the center, which adds to his grand, round and rich beauty.
The development of Chinese regular script can be said to have reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, and its achievements were represented by Yan Zhenqing. The later calligrapher Liu Gongquan of the Tang Dynasty was also influenced by Yan Zhenqing, and was also called Yan Liu in later generations. Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy is full of muscles and graceful, while Liu Gongquan's calligraphy emphasizes strong bones, so he is also known as "Yan Jin Liu Gu". Yan Zhenqing's cursive writing has the characteristics of being both concise and vigorous, as well as ups and downs. His writing style is vigorous, skillful and natural, and has the flavor of seal script, but his cursive writing still maintains the standards of Wei and Jin Dynasties. Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy theory is circulated in "Twelve Meanings of Zhang Changshi's Calligraphy".
Yan Zhenqing has many calligraphy works handed down from generation to generation, including famous calligraphy. His regular scripts include "Zhushan Hall Couple Poetry Post" and "Gao Shen Post"; cursive scripts include "Manuscript of Memorial to Nephew Jiming" and "Liu Zhong Envoy Post". ”, “Huzhou Tie”, etc. Among them, except for the "Manuscript of Memorial to Nephew Jiming" which is generally recognized as authentic, there are still different opinions on the authenticity of the other works, but they are all ink prints that have been circulated with clues. "Manuscript of Memorial to Nephew Jiming" is a relic in the nature of a draft. The writing is natural and the manuscript is full of erasures, but it shows the charm of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy.
Yan Zhenqing wrote a lot of steles in his life, and the ones that have been handed down to this day include: "Duobao Pagoda Stele", which has a dignified and compact structure, and is beautiful and colorful; "Dongfang Shuo Painting Praise Stele", which has a clear and powerful style; "Visiting the Golden Heavenly King Shrine" "Inscription" is relatively dignified and powerful; "Zang Huaike Stele" is majestic and vigorous; "Guo Family Temple Stele" is graceful and smooth; "Magu Immortal Altar Record" is rich and solemn, with a concise structure and full of charm; "Ode to the Zhongxing of the Tang Dynasty" ", is carved on a cliff and is Yan Zhenqing's largest regular script. The calligraphy is square and steady, without showing bones and muscles. "Song Jing Stele", also known as "Song Guangping Stele", has broad and vigorous calligraphy; "Baguanzhai Bao De Ji" has a solemn atmosphere; "Yuanjie Stele" is powerful and profound; "Qianlu Zi Shu" is steady and calm; "Li Xuanjing Stele" has strong calligraphy, but the strokes are thin and different from other inscriptions. "Yan Qin's Ceremony Stele" was unearthed in 1922. The calligraphy and painting are as good as new. It is the one that best conveys the original appearance and spirit of Yan Zhenqing's inscriptions. His calligraphy is majestic and neat, and is a representative work in his later years. "Yan's Family Temple Stele", with rich calligraphy skills, was also his proud work in his later years.
Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphy has also been engraved into many calligraphy works. Most of the collections of calligraphy collected in the past dynasties include Yan Zhenqing’s works. The individual posters include "Post for Fighting for Seats", "Post for Envoys", "Poetry for General Pei", "Record of Magu Immortal Altar in Small Characters", "Post for Liu Taichong" and so on. Among them, "Struggle for Seats" is the most famous. This post is written in cursive script, based on the original work on stone, and is now in the Forest of Steles in Xi'an; this post is his manuscript, written freely, vertically and horizontally, with dripping ink, and is an unintentional masterpiece. Mi Fu believes that it has the flavor of seal script and ranks first among Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy works. Special collections of calligraphy calligraphy by Yan Zhenqing include the Song Dynasty "Zhongyi Tang Tie", a comprehensive collection of 45 kinds of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy works, and the Zhejiang Provincial Museum has an exclusive copy of Song rubbings.
The Life of Wang Xizhi
Wang Xizhi (approximately 321-379), courtesy name Yishao, was born in Linyi, Langya, Eastern Jin Dynasty. His family was one of the few wealthy noble families in the Jin Dynasty. His grandfather Wang Zheng was Shang Shulang. His father, Wang Kuang, was the governor of Huainan. He once proposed that the Jin Dynasty cross the river and establish the Eastern Jin Dynasty on the left side of the river. Wang Xizhi's uncle Wang Dao was even more famous and was the prime minister of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His other uncle, Wang Dun, was the military commander of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. The Langya Wang family was extremely powerful and prosperous in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
Because of Wang Xizhi's background, he became a secretary as soon as he became an official, and later joined the army for Yu Liang, then moved to Ningyuan general, Jiangzhou governor, and finally became the right army general and Kuaiji internal historian. So people also called him "Wang Youjun".
Wang Xizhi was frank and informal, and he had no desire for honor and profit since he was a child. "Shishuo Xinyu" contains Wang Xizhi's beautiful talk about "confidence in the east bed".
Xi Jian, another major gentry in the Jin Dynasty, wanted to marry into the Wang family, so he sent his disciples to the Wang family to choose a son-in-law. Director Wang asked people to go to the east chamber to observe his nephews one by one. After the disciple returned, he reported to Xi Jian: The young men of the Wang family are all good. When they heard that the visitor was sent by the Xi family to choose a son-in-law, they all looked reserved. There was only one person eating openly on the east bed, as if he didn't know this happened. Xi Jian heard this and said, "This is the good son-in-law I am looking for." Later, when he inquired about it, he found out that the man who had confessed was Wang Xizhi, so he married his daughter to him.
Judging from this anecdote, Wang Xizhi has had an open-minded character since he was a child and rarely worries about trivial matters. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why his calligraphy is vigorous and open, with a free and unrestrained attitude. Because of this allusion, later people used "Dong Bed Tan Fu" and "Dong Bed" as good names for their son-in-law, or called other people's sons-in-law "Ling Tan".
Because of Wang Xizhi's rare reputation, the officials in the imperial court loved his talents, and he was repeatedly recruited to serve as a minister, minister of history, etc., but he refused. He doesn't like being an official and prefers to be quiet. During his tenure, he expressed important and practical political opinions to Prime Minister Xie An and Yin Hao who participated in government affairs. He also opened a warehouse to provide relief to the hungry. All these show that he does not seek glory and wealth but is an upright character.
Wang Xizhi has been fond of calligraphy since he was a child. When he was young, he learned calligraphy from his aunt, Mrs. Wei, a famous female calligrapher. After crossing the river, he studied the calligraphy of senior calligraphy masters such as Li Si, Cao Xi, Zhang Zhi, Zhang Chang, Cai Yong, Zhong Yao and Liang Hu. This makes his calligraphy integrate the strengths of various calligraphy schools and become a style of its own. In addition, there are many people in his family who are good at calligraphy. His fathers, such as Wang Dao, Wang Kuang, and Wang Yi, are all masters. This also greatly helped his calligraphy learning.
Wang Xizhi has profound attainments in real calligraphy, cursive calligraphy, and all kinds of calligraphy. His real calligraphy is clever and dense, opening up a new realm; his grass is long, thick and slender; his running script is charming and vigorous. People call his calligraphy "floating like floating clouds, as powerful as a frightening dragon"; "dragon leaps over the sky gate, tiger lies in the Phoenix Pavilion".
Wang Xizhi has many calligraphy engravings, such as "Le Yan Lun", "Huang Ting Jing", "Dongfang Shuo Painting Praise" and other regular script works, which occupy an important position in the history of ancient Chinese calligraphy. His cursive calligraphy handed down from generation to generation includes more than ten kinds of cursive calligraphy, such as "Hanqie Tie", "Auntie's Tie" and "Chu Yue Tie". Although these calligraphy treasures are copies of Tang Dynasty double outlines, they are also rare treasures. His running script "Kuaixue Shiqing Tie" has only 24 characters, and was listed as the first among "Three Xi Tie" by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
"Lanting Preface" is Wang Xizhi's most famous masterpiece. From a literary point of view, it has beautiful words and broad-minded emotions. It is a great article that will last forever.
From the perspective of calligraphy, it is known as the crown of Dharma stickers and has been carefully studied by famous artists of all generations.
Wang Xizhi was also good at painting and was one of the earliest calligraphers in history who was also good at painting. His wife Xi and his seven sons are all good at calligraphy, and they are a world-famous calligraphy family, which is also rare in ancient Chinese history. In particular, his youngest son Wang Xianzhi inherited his father's learning and further created a world of originality. His calligraphy and painting are beautiful and wonderful, and he is as famous as his father and is known as the "Two Kings".
1. Royal scribe career
In 778 AD, the thirteenth year of Emperor Daizong of the Tang Dynasty, Liu Gongquan was born in Huayuan, Jingzhao (now Yaoxian County, Shaanxi Province), with the courtesy name Chengxuan. His ancestor Liu Zhengli was a scholar in Pizhou in the Tang Dynasty and joined the army. His father Liu Ziwen served as the governor of Danzhou, and his brother was Liu Gongchuo, a famous official in the Tang Dynasty.
In the third year of Yuanhe of Emperor Xianzong (808), 31-year-old Liu Gongquan passed the imperial examination and passed the imperial examination that year. From then on, Liu Gongquan began a long official career and served in seven dynasties: Xianzong, Mu Zong, Jingzong, Wenzong, Wuzong, Xuanzong, and Yizong.
When he was in Xianzong, Liu Gongquan served as secretary and provincial school secretary. "Li Tingzhen Xiazhou was appointed as the secretary in charge" ("Old Book of Tang Dynasty"). Li Ting and Liu had this friendship, so Liu even wrote a monument for him in his later years.
Mu Zong ascended the throne, and Liu Gongquan entered the court. Mu Zong summoned Liu Gongquan and said, "I saw your handwriting in the Buddhist temple and thought about it for a long time." That day, he paid homage to You and collected the relics. He was appointed as a scholar of the Imperial Academy, moved to You to repair the palace, and was granted the title of Yuan Wai Lang. From then on, he served in the book ban during the three dynasties of Muzong, Jingzong and Wenzong. The emperor's favor and the prosperity of life did not bring happiness to Liu Gongquan. But there was anguish and vague shame in his heart that he couldn't get rid of. He loves the art of calligraphy, but he does not want to make it his entire life; his ambition to make contributions is always in his chest. The status of the servants who followed the emperor was only equal to that of "gongzhu". Therefore, his brother Liu Gongchuo once wrote to Prime Minister Li Zongzhen, saying: "My brother has worked hard on his art of diction, and he was used as a servant in the previous dynasty. He worked together to pray. I am really ashamed of him, so I begged for a chance to change my rank." It was changed to Yousi Langzhong, and he was replaced by Si Feng, Erlangzhong of the Ministry of War, and a bachelor of Hongwenguan.
Tang Wenzong loved Liu Gongquan's calligraphy very much, so he called him a calligrapher and moved him to admonish the officials. Later, he was changed to Zhongshushe and became a scholar of Hanlin calligraphy. In the third year of Kaicheng's reign, he was transferred to the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Industry.
In the reign of Emperor Wu Zong, he was dismissed from his post and appointed as a regular attendant on Yousanqi. Prime Minister Cui Gongyong served as a scholar of Jixian and judged court affairs.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, he was granted the eldest son Zhan Shi by Zuo, who was changed to a guest, and moved to Jin Ziguanglu, a doctor, and the founding Duke of Shangzhu Kingdom and Hedong County. He became Zuo Changshi again, the prince of the state offered wine, and he was the minister of the Ministry of Industry.
In the early years of Xiantong during the reign of Emperor Yizong, Liu Gongquan was renamed Prince Shaofu and Shaoshi. He died in the sixth year of Xiantong (865) and was given to the Prince Taishi at the age of eighty-eight.
Liu Gongquan had a successful official career, but when he was eighty-two years old, due to old age and weak reaction, he accidentally made a mistake when receiving his title. The censor impeached him, and he was fined for one season. Salary. Emperors of all dynasties loved his calligraphy and poetic talent, and even accepted his advice. Throughout Liu's life, except for a short period of time when he was an official abroad, he was basically in the capital, in the palace, and by the emperor's side. Throughout his life, he has been constantly writing monuments for the royal family, ministers, and relatives and friends. Liu Gongquan is quite like a canary in a cage. Such a life makes him lack magnanimity, broad vision, and vast source of life. Yan's body has been changing from monument to monument, but Liu's body has changed less after it matured; Yan Zhenqing is like a roaring torrent, but Liu Gongquan is like cave water flowing in the deep mountains and old forests. These are two different sentiments of life.
2． Noble character quality
Liu Gongquan received the teachings on "virtue" from the "Liu Family Instructions" from an early age, so he has been rooted in virtue throughout his life and has "extensive knowledge of classics". He has a Confucian style in life and calligraphy. Liu Gongquan's "pen admonishment" has become a "model" for later generations of scholar-bureaucrats:
Mu Zong was eccentric in politics. When he asked Gongquan how good his pen was, he replied: " Use your pen to your heart, and if your heart is right, your pen will be right. ("Old Book of the Tang Dynasty")
Mu Zong was neglectful of government affairs, and Liu Gongquan used books to describe government affairs, from here to there, and skillfully gave advice. From then on, the saying "the heart is right and the pen is right" has been passed down to later generations. It can be seen from this that Liu Gongquan dared to speak out or politely to give advice when he was "serving the book ban".
(2) Heyday: the great success of Liu Ti.
In the ten years after the age of sixty, Liu Shu entered its heyday, like the sun in the sky. During this period, the documents contained nearly twenty steles, such as the "Feng Su Stele", the "Stele of Cui Zhen, the Doctor of the Jin Department", the "Stele of Wei Yuanyu, the Supervisor of the Huainan Army", and the "Stele of Fu Phosphorus, King of Yiyang County". "Mysterious Tower Stele" and "Shence Army Stele" are typical examples of willow style and are the most famous.
As of the "Mysterious Tower Stele" and "Shence Army Stele", the willow bodies have been completed. It changed into the plump style of the mid-Tang Dynasty, with deep pen force, sharp and fast, focusing on squares and supplementing them with circles, and showing thin, hard and strong lines between the squat front and the thin lines. This is "Willow Bone" (explained below). The strokes have their own faces. The longer horizontal strokes are thin and stretched, while the shorter horizontal strokes are thicker and more powerful. The vertical strokes are thicker than the horizontal strokes, so they are used as the main strokes to look for changes. The longer strokes are lighter and the shorter strokes are different. Heavy; the attack must be heavy, showing strength; the hook, kick, and challenge must be sharp and then come back quickly. The willow script on the knot is also similar to Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy that shows people from the front. The left and right sides are more evenly balanced, but the length is long and the momentum is dense in the middle and sparse in the outer. In terms of the overall style of calligraphy, the Liu style is like "The private soldiers of the Yuanmen, the surroundings are guarded" (Cen Zongdan's book review): "The calligrapher said that he was scared to avoid the approaching tiger, and the hungry eagle descended (Wei Xie), which is not enough to describe the eagerness of the bird" (Wang Shizhen's "Chibei Ou") talk"). Willow style has strict laws and regulations, and the face has changed from the fatness of face to body, and it has become fresh, straight, thin, hard and spiritual. In the late Tang Dynasty, it aroused people's appreciation for willow style with a new calligraphy style and its charming beauty.
(3) Mid-term: the charm of the setting sun.
In the ten years after he turned seventy, Liu Gongquan entered a new period of development. There are many records in books and tablets at this stage. According to the "Inscriptions on Gold and Stone", there are "Shang Yu Xinyi Ji" written when he was seventy years old, "The Monument of Wang Qi, the Jiedushi of Shannan West Road", etc., which were written when he was seventy-one years old. There are nearly ten works including the "Niu Sengru Monument", the "Prince Taifu Liu Mian Monument", and the "Puguang Wang Temple Monument" written by the 73-year-old. Today we only see the "Prince Taifu Liu Mian Stele", "Wei Gongxian Temple Stele", "Gao Yuanyu Stele" and so on.
From the above steles, we can see that Liu Gongquan seems to want to create a new realm after the "Mysterious Tower Stele" and "Shence Army Stele" which vividly exposed the willow body. I want to use lightness and clumsiness to penetrate the brushwork, simplicity to penetrate the structure, and elegance to penetrate the charm. Therefore, in the middle period, the brushstrokes that were like cutting steel and casting were somewhat restrained, the exposed tendrils were somewhat hidden, and the severe and severe wind edges were restrained somewhat. Yang Shoujing of the Qing Dynasty had a particularly deep understanding of this, saying: "The Fu Lin Stele, Wei Gongxian Temple Stele, Liu Mian, and Feng Su all submitted their talents to submission and were ultimately elegant." ("Xue Shu Yi Yan") He even believed that "the monument "Gao Yuanyu" is particularly perfect. Although "Fu Lin Stele" (61 years old) and "Feng Su Bei" (60 years old) were both written before the age of 70, the changes after the age of 70 have their ideological roots already hidden there. However, the "willow bones" have been refined for decades, and Liu Gongquan has never been able to take on a new look. We only see the charm of Liu Shu during this period.
(4) Late period: Liu Shu’s sunset
In the eight years after the age of eighty, Liu Gongquan entered the late period of his life and calligraphy creation. He still allows life and calligraphy art to nourish each other: life moves forward in the creation of calligraphy art, and calligraphy art embellishes and shines on life. When he was eighty-seven years old, he still wrote the "Stele of Wei Jie, the Prince's Taibao" (recorded in "Bao Ke Lei Bian"). From his representative work "Fudonglin Stele", we can see that the sunset glow of the last period of his life was reflected in the words of the stele. That kind of style is no longer like the brilliance of the morning sun, full of vitality, nor like the scorching sun at noon, but a brilliant sunset; the sharpness of the pen turns to the inside, the charm is close to nature, and the purpose of the whole article is as big as the grandeur. Transformation of affinity is the result of Zongjiang's mental realization in his later years and his old writing style. Like an enlightened man, Liu Gongquan walked deep into the green mountains, climbed to the top, and finally disappeared in Shan Ali, carving the soul of his books into the peaks of calligraphy.
2． Standing on the shoulders of giants
The laurels of Liu Gongquan’s success are not only made of thorns of hard work, but also picked by standing on the shoulders of giants. He is good at absorbing the wisdom and achievements of calligraphy masters and turning them into his own calligraphy masters.
(1) Derived from Zhong Shu and Wang Shu. Liu Gongquan's study of Chui Yao's calligraphy can be seen in the Diamond Sutra, and Liu Jue has already pointed it out.
But Liu Shu also has various graces and beauty.
Thesis on calligraphy
Liu Gongquan’s famous thesis on calligraphy is undoubtedly “the person is correct and the pen is correct”, which is known to almost everyone who studies calligraphy; Also widely known.
1. "The heart is upright and the pen is upright"
"The heart is upright and the pen is upright" was Liu Gongquan's euphemistic advice to Emperor Muzong of the Tang Dynasty. The meaning of this famous saying can be understood from the following two aspects.
The first is to analyze the relationship between personality and calligraphy from an ethical perspective.
Confucianism attaches great importance to ethics and morality. In the cultural coordinates of Confucianism, calligraphy is regarded as a "mind study". Liu Xizai's "Yi Gui" says: "The old books are also the Xin Xue." This origin comes from the Han Dynasty. Yang Xiong's "Dharma Preface: Asking the Gods" says: "Words are the voice of the heart; writing is the painting of the heart. The voice and the shape are what a gentleman and a villain can see. The voice and painting are what a gentleman and a villain are so emotional!" Yang Xiong saw " "Book" communicates with the inner world. A gentleman can express beauty from the "inner painting" of "book", and a villain can also show his true face in the "inner painting". During the Three Kingdoms period, Zhong Yao also said in "Bi Fu": "The person who writes the handwriting is the world; the person who flows the beauty is the person." Liu Gongquan enriched and developed this idea. His theory of "the heart is correct and the pen is correct" uses a new proposition to connect the relationship between personality, ethics and calligraphy. It is not only a portrayal of this giant calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, but also a successful "pen admonishment" and received a certain kind of effect. This aroused great interest and praise from later generations of literati. Su Shi of the Song Dynasty once said in a poem: "When there is an urgent need to pass on the family law, and you want to see the sincerity of pen and remonstrance." ("Liu's Two Nephews Ask for Handwriting") Zhao Yan's poem of the Yuan Dynasty said: "You Jun once wrote "Changing Goose" "Sutra", Zhu Mixian's writing has a clear character. Seeing that Liu Gong's heart is in the right place, his pen and advice are still famous for thousands of years.
Not only that, later generations further elaborated on this theory. Xiang Mu of the Ming Dynasty once excavated the calligraphy order of "Zhengxin, Zhengbi and Zhengshu" from "Zhengxin, Zhengbi and Zhengshu", and believed that "Zhengxin" should be "sincerity", "knowledge" and "investigation of things". Then through "practicing diligently" and achieving "advanced study", calligraphy can produce new, wonderful and strange ideas (see "The Elegant Words of Calligraphy: Heart"). There is "mind science" in the history of philosophy. Lu Jiuyuan of Song Dynasty and Wang Shouren of Ming Dynasty both regarded "heart" as the origin of all things in the universe, and proposed that "the study of saints is also the study of mind, which was taught and received by Yao, Shun and Yu." Xiang Mu believes that calligraphy is also a The logical starting point of this process of "mind learning" should be the "right heart", and ultimately it will reach the "kingdom of freedom". Liu Xizai of the Qing Dynasty also said: "The book is like it. It is like his learning, his talent, his ambition, in short, it is just like the person." "The first task." ("Art Introduction") These are all closely related to "the heart is right and the pen is right".
"The heart is upright and the pen is upright" emphasizes the calligrapher's character cultivation, and later generations often use character quality as one of the criteria for judging calligraphy. Su Shi once said: "Master Liu's words are correct and his writing is correct. He is not only sarcastic and admonishing, but also reasonable. Although the villain of the world is skilled in calligraphy, his expression always has the attitude of Sui Xu, who does not know the feelings of others and sees them casually. Is it true that Han Zi said he was a person who stole an axe? But if people still hate his book, then they will know it." ("Dongpo Postscript") Therefore, Cai Jing, a powerful traitor in the Song Dynasty, was excluded from the book. Outside the home, because of his despicable character. From a creative perspective, this proposition profoundly reveals the complex and subtle relationship between calligraphy and the calligrapher's inner world. It is also the externalization and expression of the calligrapher's personality in calligraphy. From this we can also see the calligrapher’s mentality and make an appropriate evaluation of his works.
The second step is to analyze the calligraphy techniques themselves.
"Pinluo'an Lun Shu·Fu Kongguyuan Lun Shu" written by Liang Tong of the Qing Dynasty said: "The heart is correct and the writing is correct. Most of the predecessors used Taoism to borrow advice. My brother thinks otherwise, as long as he uses extremely soft When the hair falls off the paper, it is not afraid of being incorrect, not paying attention to it, and being superficial and trance-like. In fact, not only Liang Tongshu, but as early as the Song Dynasty, Jiang Kui said in the "Using the Pen" section of "Xu Shu Pu": "The heart is straight." "The pen is straight" and "the intention is in front of the pen, and the words are behind the heart" are both famous sayings. Zhou Xinglian of the Qing Dynasty once said in "Linchi Guanjian": Liu Gongquan said, "A correct heart means a correct pen." If the pen is straight, the front is easy to straighten, and the center is the straight front.
He added: "The ancients said that when the heart is righteous, the Qi is calm, when the Qi is stable, the wrists are active, when the wrists are active, the tip of the pen is filled, and when the pen is filled with ink, the ink is concentrated, and the concentration is like nourishment. Without intention, it is all intention, and if there is no law, it is all law. This is just a matter of innate effort, which saves a lot of words, thoughts and suggestions. It is said that everything is done in one go. "These are all derived from techniques, and it is not unreasonable to comment on them. But its importance is not as important as the "character" theory.
2． Aspects of "Yan Jin Liu Gu"
Predecessors commented that Yan Zhenqing's characters are mostly "jin", and Liu Gongquan's characters are mostly "bone", so there is a saying of "Yan Jin Liu Gu". Fan Zhongyan of the Song Dynasty wrote an edict to Shi Manqing: "The pen that prolongs life is the bones of the willows and bones."
"Bone" refers to the strong and powerful characters and the strong momentum. Mrs. Jin Wei's "Bi Zhen Tu" says: "Those who are good at strength have many bones, and those who are not good at strength have many flesh. Those with many bones and little flesh are called sinewers, and those with many flesh and little bones are called ink pigs." There are many theories on "bones" in the history of calligraphy. "Those. To use "a point like a falling stone" as an example, it means that a point must condense the power of the past movement. This power is the expression of the artist's heart, but it is not tense, but both powerful and delicate. This is called "bone" . Zong Bai Huayun, a modern esthetician, said: Bone means that the pen and ink on the paper are powerful and prominent. It exerts a force from the inside. Although it does not talk about perspective, it can have a three-dimensional sense and produce a moving force on us. "Aesthetics and Artistic Conception".
The word "jin" has multiple meanings. It may refer to the edge of the pen, or it may refer to the way the tendons and veins are connected and powerful when writing with the pen hanging from the wrist. The tendons are also connected with the meat and are called "muscles". Yan and Liu both said that the distinguishing characteristics of the two are: Yan Shu has more muscles, but he is not boneless, and Yan Zhenqingshu also emphasizes bone strength; Liu Shu has obvious bones, but he is not without flesh, but just tends to be thin. But Liu Gongquan paid special attention to the bone method. The word "willow bone" can still be understood as:
(1) Bone strength. Liu Gongquan is most obsessed with the expression of bone strength, focusing on the center's movement against the trend, carefully protecting the head and hiding the tail, and focusing on focusing his spiritual power on the lines. He increased his wrist strength and straightened his strokes, such as "drawing sand with a cone" or "printing mud". His strokes were urgent, coming from pecking and within the tightness of the vertical pen; Use a square pen at turning points or when changing pens.