The Wei Stele is a stone carving calligraphy work left over from the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Northern Wei Dynasty. What I bring to you below are calligraphy inscriptions by famous calligraphers. I hope you like them. Appreciation of the inscriptions on the inscriptions of famous calligraphers
Pictures of inscriptions on the inscriptions of famous calligraphers 1
Pictures of inscriptions on the inscriptions of famous calligraphers 2
Pictures of inscriptions on the inscriptions of famous calligraphers 3
Inscriptions on the inscriptions of famous calligraphers Picture 4
Picture 5 of inscriptions on inscriptions by famous calligraphers
The charm of calligraphy on Wei stele
Liu Yiming
In the current calligraphy world, inscriptions on inscriptions are the only ones left In an era that complements each other, the two kings and one line of elegant and graceful Tixue hold considerable weight. But it is undeniable that calligraphy works in the style of Wei stele in the Northern Dynasty are still favored by many calligraphers for their infinite charm.
The Wei Stele is a stone carving calligraphy work left over from the Southern and Northern Dynasties and the Northern Wei Dynasty. In terms of calligraphy style, the application of its conceptual system includes stone calligraphy of the Northern Qi, Northern Zhou, and Eastern Wei, and can even extend upward to some stone calligraphy works of the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
The Wei Stele, inherited from the Han and Jin Dynasties and inspired by the Tang and Song dynasties, holds a special position in the history of Chinese calligraphy. His brushwork is profound, his stipples are bold and thick, his artistic expression is strange and elegant, and his bone technique is penetrating. Youwei of the Qing Dynasty once praised the stele of the Wei Dynasty: it is rich in flesh and blood and has a natural structure. The number of epitaphs, statues, stele tablets, pagoda inscriptions, engravings, etc. may number in the tens of millions, and their strange structure, powerful momentum, and great changes are unmatched by other calligraphy styles.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, especially since the capital was moved to Luoyang, the martial arts gradually declined, and instead they advocated Confucianism, the sons of princes, and many literary talents. In particular, Emperor Xiaowen of Wei was an elegant and fond of reading, and liked to polish gold and stone, so the trend of engraving inscriptions became more and more popular after the Eastern Han Dynasty. At that time, it was not a glorious thing for a person who came from a high-ranking family and was famous for a while if there was no one to set up a memorial monument after his death. Even after the death of a small official, someone would write articles and carve stones on his behalf, praising his merits and virtues in order to make his name famous to future generations. This is the reason why there are so many epitaphs in the Northern Wei Dynasty. As "Shu Lin Zao Jian" said: "The books in the Northern Dynasties were the most prosperous in Wei Dynasty. It enjoyed the country forever, and its art industry was improving day by day. It used filial piety and good writing to polish the gold and stone. Therefore, the official script and regular script were changed at that time, and there was no formality. ?From a philological perspective, the Southern and Northern Dynasties were an important period for the development and evolution of Chinese writing. In particular, regular script had just evolved from official script and was in an immature initial period. However, it was this "immaturity" that made the Wei stele Calligraphy also contains the characteristics of two different calligraphy styles, official script and regular script, which makes its artistic style more varied and its information content richer. Perhaps this is the charm of Wei stele calligraphy.
The development of regular script in the Northern Wei Dynasty can be roughly divided into three stages: the first stage is bounded by Emperor Xuanwu. The previous regular script still has the legacy of official script preserved from the two Jin Dynasties, with strong and simple style of writing and vivid meaning. Because the pen is both square and round, the structure is tilted sideways without losing the stability of the center of gravity. The overall artistic effect is rough but not wild, thick but not bloated, and it is quite innocent and innocent. The second stage started from Emperor Xuanwu, when regular script entered a period of rapid development. While the influence of official script is weakening, on the other hand, its various ontological characteristics as an emerging calligraphy style are being continuously improved. The stroke characteristics of official script were integrated into the transformation of regular script strokes, and the style also developed in the direction of flatness, uprightness, and broadness. Of course, there is still a difference in the expression of calligraphy styles in the two major regions of the north and the south. The style of works in the north is more lively and natural, with the tone of being sideways and powerful. The third stage began around the time of Emperor Xiaoming. The tendency of calligraphy to return to a more normal style became more obvious, and the brush strokes became more delicate and thoughtful. The handsome and elegant style replaced the majestic and natural expressions. The typical regular script brushes and knots The laws of body gradually formed.
Based on the structure of the calligraphy, Wei stele calligraphy can be roughly divided into four categories: tablets, cliffs, statues, and epitaphs. Among them, epitaphs and statue calligraphy deserve special attention. Not only are the number of epitaph calligraphy unearthed spectacular, but there are also a wide variety of styles, and the writing and engraving are also a mixture of good and bad. The calligraphers are all unknown officials at the lower levels of society. Their calligraphy is irregular, either childish and simple, full of interest, or square and sharp. Li, the body is powerful; or the posture is vigorous and charming, refined to delicate. The wonderful thing about the statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty lies in their unpredictable changes. You can't find the regularity of the calligraphy of these folk writers and engravers. They wrote and carved at will, and the true temperament of people was fully reflected in this unobstructed operation. From the records of statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty, We almost get a glimpse of their unbridled romance.
The huge differences in styles prevent us from using one paradigm to standardize and integrate. It is precisely because of this that we feel the naturalness and value of creation even more. Perhaps this is the true meaning of the art we pursue. From this, we feel the joy of writing, and it is precisely because of the unpredictable, natural and interesting nature of the statues of the Northern Wei Dynasty that people are still fascinated and linger on.
There are many works of exquisite calligraphy in the stone carvings of the Northern Wei Dynasty, but most of them are works with naive calligraphy style and poor carving work. Most of the carvers were craftsmen with low or no education. Their misunderstandings and incorrect engravings led to the overall style being rough and clumsy, so they were often ignored by calligraphers before the Qing Dynasty. After the Qianlong and Jiaqing Dynasties of the Qing Dynasty, with the changes in artistic thoughts and aesthetic concepts, people were surprised to find that it was these misunderstood and mistakenly engraved inscriptions that had unfettered natural interest and vitality. Today, the stone carvings of the Northern Wei Dynasty have undoubtedly become a source for people to create new expression languages.
There are many types of calligraphy in the Northern Wei Dynasty. These tens of thousands of epitaph carvings provide us with rich physical data to study the calligraphy of Wei stele. Kang Youwei said: There are no bad ones in Wei stele, even though they are poor. The statues made by the countrymen's children are jagged and rough, and there are abnormalities in their roughness and thickness. ?It can be seen that Mr. Nanhai admired the Wei stele. When studying Wei steles, we must first prefer clumsiness to skill. However, for some simple, crude, rough, fragmented, and naive works, we can only rely on their meaning and not just appearance. We can also combine them with some works from the Wei, Jin, and Six Dynasties. We use the ink marks on sutras and scraps of paper to study the calligraphy of the Six Dynasties and restore the original meaning of the calligraphy. While expressing the interest of epigraphy, we must also emphasize the role of "writing", that is, looking at the brush edge through the blade, and using the works carved by the ancients with swords. The writing brush expresses the interest of pen and ink. In other words, when we study Wei stele calligraphy, there is a text transformation process of removing the rough and selecting the essential, purifying and elegance. Everyone of the predecessors has achieved great success from this kind of text conversion. At the same time, because Wei stele calligraphy evolved from official script, which contains a lot of official script brushwork, if you have a foundation of Han official script in studying Wei stele, you will get twice the result with half the effort.
The following lists three types of Wei stele calligraphy, and briefly analyzes the styles and brush strokes of these three types of Wei stele calligraphy.
1. "Epitaph of Tuyuhun, Princess of Wuchang" in the Northern Wei Dynasty
The original title of "Epitaph of Tuyuhun, Princess of Wuchang" is "Inscription on the Epitaph of Tuyuhun, Princess of Wuchang in the Wei Dynasty". Engraved on August 11, the first year of Jianyi of the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD 528). It was unearthed in 1921 in Qianhaizi Village, north of Luoyang City, Henan Province. The height of the book is 49 cm, the width is 47.7 cm, and the book is straight. The lines of "Tuyuhun Epitaph" are simple and natural, and the structure is elegant and open. It does not rely on the sense of stretching of the four corners of a smooth square and the positioning of points and lines to obtain symmetrical balance like Tang Kai. Instead, it forms various triangles or irregular squares through the moderate displacement of each part. Square to obtain stability in the center of gravity. Compared with Tang regular script, it has more momentum, appears to be jumpy and stretched, and is more unbridled and far-reaching. Therefore, the study of "Tuyuhun" is mainly to grasp its momentum, or to focus on its expansion, or to Convergence against its weakening. In terms of spatial structure rules, it does not use a square shape as the basic body posture, but uses the mutual blending of long, square, and flat to achieve the overall response to the movement of Qi. In terms of the position of single characters, it does not use the level of the central axis to determine the uniform layout of each stroke. Instead, it uses the expansion and contraction of each stroke on the inclined central axis to coordinate the balance of the center of gravity. Looking at the entire epitaph, there are almost no horizontal lines, and there are many vertical lines with different slants. The amazing thing is that they can intersperse between uneven levels and different inclinations, clutching and dispersing to obtain a new way of balance. To learn this Zhi, you must first identify the momentum of each character, and pay attention to the position of the outline of each character and the shape formed by it. Of course, while we are practicing, we must also pay attention to the effect of knife carving on the text lines and the effects of the lines.
2. "Epitaph of Xian Yu Zhong'er"
The full name of "Epitaph of Xian Yu Zhong'er" is "The Epitaph of Xian Yu Zhong'er, the wife of Qiu Zhe, a meritorious officer of Taiwei Mansion who joined the army". Engraved on August 18, the second year of Xiaochang in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Zhi height 50.8 cm, width 55.5 cm, formal script, 18 lines, 2 crosses, unearthed in 1927 in Dongzigou, Luoyang City, Henan Province.
This is a typical epitaph of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Looking at his calligraphy, we can hardly talk about the calligraphy hand. Because the knife-wielding habit seen in carving hands has obliterated the original appearance of calligraphy.
The pens are disconnected, and the beauty of smooth and coherent writing is replaced by short strokes of the knife. The habit of using the knife is so strong that even the structure of the original calligraphy can be changed at will when the knife is used. In this epitaph, it is not difficult to see the horizontal paintings that destroy the rhythm of the brushwork. This kind of disharmony in the horizontal paintings will never appear in the calligraphy of ordinary calligraphers who master the brushwork. Therefore, the "Epitaph of Xian Yu Zhonger" shows the More carving than writing. It is precisely because of the carving, or the carver has formed his own complete set of lettering formulas, that the style characteristics are formed: the dots become triangles, and the horizontal drawings become irregular parallelograms. The interest of decoration also comes from the carver's knife and chisel. In other words, a large part of the style of this stone carving comes from the formula of the carver, and the function of the calligraphy hand is blurred. The knife-wielding style and craftsmanship process of folk craftsmen are important factors in forming the style of this type of work. Therefore, when studying this type of work, we must understand its original style through its knife marks and handwriting.
3. "Yuan Teng's Epitaph"
The original title of "Yuan Teng's Epitaph" is "The Epitaph of Yuan Teng, the school captain at the gate of the ancient city of the Great Wei Dynasty", which was engraved in the second year of Shengui in the Northern Wei Dynasty (AD On November 9, 519 AD), it was unearthed in Xujiagou, north of Luoyang City, Henan Province, in 1925. The height of the book is 51.3 cm, the width is 55 cm, the original script has 18 lines and 18 characters.
The Yuan family belonged to the royal family of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Most of their epitaphs were unearthed in Luoyang, the capital at that time. At this time, the fusion of calligraphy and art between the north and the south became increasingly frequent. Under the influence of each other, the majestic corners of the north and the exquisite beauty of the south are increasingly integrated. "Yuan Teng's Epitaph" reflects the aesthetic understanding of this era.
The Yuan family’s calligraphy style has a unique personality among the many epitaphs. Because most of the tomb owners were important officials of the dynasty, the calligraphers and carvers were generally fearful and strict in writing. His complete brushwork, neat knotting and superb skills are enough to be admired. This can be seen from the numerous epitaphs of the Yuan family unearthed such as "Yuan Huai Epitaph", "Yuan You Epitaph" and "Yuan Ri Wei Epitaph". out of this. The "Yuan Teng Epitaph" is unique among these epitaphs. It is majestic in its beauty, elegant in its restraint, and solemn in its cleverness. The excellent calligraphy and engraving is another feature of "Yuan Teng's Epitaph". The success of a piece of stone calligraphy, of course, first depends on the calligrapher, but the level of the carver often determines the final effect. At first glance, some of the stippling seems to be rough, but if you taste it carefully, you will be surprised to find that this kind of "roughness" is the result of the carving hand being driven by emotion and having no time to pay attention to details, and the local roughness ?, in exchange for the accuracy and freshness of the overall grasp.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, the top-down statue-making behavior from the king to the sentient beings caused people at that time to indulge in fanatical religious activities. Most of the statues made were statues of Sakyamuni and Maitreya. , in order to bring more blessings, the inscriptions include beautiful words, local sayings, some words are missing, and some only engrave names. But after all, the image is the most important thing. The carvers often focus on the image and neglect the words. The knife is simple, They were even carved randomly with a single knife, so the hasty brush strokes are always visible. While the inscriptions naturally focus on words, the engravings are also relatively delicate. This is the difference between the two.
In the records of statues in the Northern Wei Dynasty, some are basically written with round pens and less square angles with knife carvings. For example, "Zhao Jiong's Statue Record" is far from the strict sword techniques of the later statue records, but it still retains many traces of official script. Among them, the palace is contracted and opened in all directions. At first glance, it seems to be the work of a child, innocent and full of joy. It fully displays its personality through pointillism and structural exaggeration. For example, the whole character is drooping, the character "人" extends left and right, and the imbalance between the left and right sides of the character "人" is compensated. It is in this sideways, long, short, and crooked natural writing that we feel the joy of not having to abide by conventions and the infinite fun of writing. When studying such works, one should be good at discovering their inner beauty and experiencing the original authenticity and simplicity.
People once used the metaphor "Thousands of rocks compete for beauty, and thousands of valleys compete for flow" to describe the epitaphs, statues and calligraphy of the Northern Dynasties. His calligraphy style is casual, natural and full of natural interest. Isn't this kind of innocence and unrestrained state what many calligraphers in ancient and modern times pursue?