His enlightenment in calligraphy art should first be attributed to Sichuan scholar Zhang Zhidong. From the sixth year of Tongzhi (1867), Miao Quan and Sun visited Zhang Fu's collection of epigraphy rubbings and the original works of Song Yuanming celebrities. During this period, Miao's calligraphy gradually formed its own refined, elegant and cool style from the "elegant style" of Ming people. In addition, Miao's correspondence with Kang Youwei, Liang Qichao, Li Ruiqing, Yang Shoujing, Liu Yizhi, Zhang Qian, Hong Jun, Wu Dacheng, Shen, Wu Changshuo, Lu Baozhong, Liang Dingfen, Wang Xun and other literati, calligraphers and seal engravers, as well as their daily singing, all have the opportunity to browse the legacy of sages from the pre-Qin to the late Ming Dynasty, which is unique to literati. In Miao's correspondence with many scholars, many people talked about epigraphy, epigraphy and calligraphy. Here are some excerpts:
Hong Jun said in a personal letter to Miao: "It was not worth visiting before. It's time to dye books in the swimming pool again recently. If the book is ready-made, please pray for me ... "
Wu Daxiao wrote in his letter to Miao: "After visiting the monument on the 18th, I stayed in the ancient temple the next day, watching the mountains and studying, and everything was silent. After the tablet was paid, I took a rubbings in Biyun Pavilion in Jiajiang. Is really the original stone has been destroyed, only seen rubbings, or haven't been to ... "
In his letter to Miao, Wang said ... the ink version of Danba Monument is true, and the postscript has been drawn up. It will be published in the book when it is stronger, so as not to delay. Proposition Zhao Shu's "The Monument to Danba" was respectfully accepted. Pupils have not recovered from a long illness, and their health has not recovered. This book can't be finished. Fei Jun, please read it and cut it off before you feel clean. Congratulations, master. Master Yi Rong knocked.
Huang Mufu (1849- 1908), a seal engraver in the late Qing Dynasty, wrote in his own account: "... I saw many Yi Ding, utensils, mirror inscriptions, bricks and tiles, Zhou Wei ancient pottery and stone rubbings in Yifeng Hall in Chengjiang, which was very helpful for me to learn printing. ...
In a letter to Miao, Zhang Zhidong wrote ... Yesterday, Wang Chong 'an's book had 20 fans, each of whom was in fine print with a thousand handles, which was very troublesome. I want to ask Uncle Ran's three-year-old husband to carve a peace and then pay homage to the cave. "
It can be seen that the formation of Miao's calligraphy art is inseparable from his association with celebrities at that time. The quiet life played a natural role in the formation of Miao calligraphy style. Miao's profound knowledge and elegant demeanor enjoy a high reputation in academic circles. He treated all the people with courtesy and kindness, and made a wide range of friends, but he was indifferent to fame and fortune. During the 37 years from the age of 39 (the eighth year of Guangxu) to his death at the age of 75 (the eighth year of the Republic of China), he carved more than 100 bibliographies. During this period, he mainly lived in the capital, central Sichuan, Guangdong, Hubei and other places. As life in Beijing was not satisfactory, he went to see his tutor Zhang Zhidong. This kind of life is recorded in Miao's custom chronicle: "... three exquisite rooms." There are hundreds of bamboos behind the house, and a pool of rich canals. Sitting and lying here in summer is leisurely ... "It's really a Liu Ziji-style seclusion style. It's really pleasant to read, proofread monuments, drink tea and enjoy posts between such a quiet, leisurely and elegant cloister and waterside pavilion. This is the place that a bachelor of arts yearns for most when he encounters setbacks in his career, life and official career. Miao is in such an environment.
Miao nationality lasted for 15 years from the 22nd year of Guangxu (1896) to the 3rd year (19 1 1). During this period, he lived a leisurely life, had a successful career, made a wide range of peers, and was favored by court officials and achieved great success. This period is the peak of his career, which is not only the golden season for his work, study and collection, but also the season for his calligraphy art to mature. At this time, the publication of Yunzizai Temple Series, Lotus Fragrance Collection, Duiyulou Series, and Cigarette Cards Dongtang Essays brought a satisfactory end to his later years. The first stage: Tongzhi for two to thirteen years (1863- 1874).
The second stage: from the first year of Guangxu to the thirteenth year of Guangxu (1875- 1904).
The third stage: from the 31st year of Guangxu to the 8th year of the Republic of China (1905- 19 19).
From 1863 to 20-year-old Miao's first book of poetry was published. From 1 1 874, she first went to Chengdu to study literature and history with Tang Qiushi and began to study textual research. I took the exam at the age of 24, went to Beijing to take the exam at the age of 25, and then went to Beijing to take the exam at the age of 27, and failed in Sun Shan. During this period, his calligraphy conservatively inherited the calligraphy style of the Ming Dynasty (that is, the period when calligraphy was popular), and integrated Dong Qichang's brushwork on the basis of the calligraphy of the Jin and Tang Dynasties. Since then, due to the change of calligraphy fashion, pavilion style has become a temporary fashion. Although the formation of pavilion style is not as good as the essence of calligraphy art, it has universal significance for people to learn calligraphy. Its calligraphy is stable and well-proportioned, which is loved by the court, reflecting the court's aesthetics. With the maturity of the pavilion, calligraphers with artistic sensitivity gradually realize that they must change their ways, at least they can't be narcissistic on the road of weak copying. During this period, Miao's calligraphy was relatively stable and didn't have many characteristics, but swimming in the pool every day became the best way for him to spend his spare time. The two kings and Mi Fei visited most frequently, which can still be proved by his works in his later years.
In the nearly 30 years from 1875 under the door to 1904 on the eve of the establishment of Jiangnan Library, Miao jumped from an unknown engraver and proofreader to a scholar, collector and connoisseur. During this period, he read extensively, devoted himself to studying, and took poetry as his friend, and his calligraphy art made a qualitative leap. He visited famous calligraphy posts and inscriptions from the Tang and Song Dynasties to the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, from brick carvings in the Han Dynasty to Buddhist scriptures in the Tang Dynasty, from stone carvings in the Song Dynasty to wild grass in the Ming Dynasty, and made a lot of sorting and research notes, which undoubtedly played a positive role in promoting his calligraphy art. At the same time, Kang Youwei's theory of "respecting monuments" and
From 1905 to 19 19 to 14, Miao's calligraphy art has undergone great changes, with a clear, old and spicy style. We might as well make a narrative from a book in his later years:
This picture is a poem written by myself (see the right): "I love the cold environment alone and am indifferent to people." I'm sorry about today. I'm brewing an ancient spring. Thorns are still sad about gold, and words are ugly and beautiful. Four Weng is 300 years old, and the flowers belong to the crane. In case of the ancients, the old plum circled three times, and the bamboo was repaired in four seasons. The years were really wasted. The country gradually became a country. Who wrote this poem? This work is excellent in character, poetry and calligraphy. The brushwork must be clean and free, thin but not abrupt, fat but not ink, and the turning point is accurate, so that it can be smooth and not abrupt, clear and not thin, and the whole picture is full of five elements, and the word "Sun" is signed from the other beginning. Because the author got the beauty of the book, although he wrote it with a pen, the spacing was sparse, the cloth was even, the words were different and varied. For example, the word "spring" has two shapes, all of which are the same, but the front is big and the back is small, the front is slightly thicker and the back is slightly thinner, and the rhythm is sometimes smooth and unrestrained. The word "Chen" is blocked by a pen Therefore, although the range is not large and the number of words is not much, there is a feeling of "guiding it as a spring note, which is very intriguing". "The use of pen and ink in this book is dry and moist, and the shade is appropriate, which just shows the author's mood in his later years and also reflects the general situation of the book world in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The whole book can appear free and easy in nature, and after refining, it is full of brilliant and poetic expression.