Real name: Song Ke
Font size: Zhongwen
Date of birth: 1327
Date of death: 1387 Song Ke - Ming Dynasty One of the "Three Songs and Two Sins" calligraphers
Song Ke (1327-1387), whose courtesy name was Zhongwen and whose first name was Kewen, was Nangong Sheng. He was a native of Changzhou (now Suzhou, Jiangsu). He was one of the "Three Song Dynasty and Two Chen" calligraphers who were famous in the calligraphy world in the early Ming Dynasty. He and Gao Qi were called the Ten Friends, and in poetry they were called the Ten Talents. At the beginning of Hongwu's reign, he was a Tongzhi of Fengxiang. The plain work and cursive script are mastered by the methods of Zhong and Wang, with exquisite pen and ink and graceful demeanor. Bamboo is written by hand. Although it is an inch high and a chasm, there are thousands of bamboo poles and thousands of jade. The rain is stacking and the smoke is growing, and it is quiet and free of dust and vulgarity. I tried to make a piece of Jiqi Shiye, and the inscription included the sentence "Once you become an artist, you will not know how to restrain yourself", which means that it can never be recovered. Learning calligraphy is a matter of urgency, so writing on bamboo can be wonderful. When Zhang Boyu used a red brush to sweep bamboo at the end of the imperial examination paper, he said, "I occasionally saw a branch of red dianthus", which led people to believe that the red bamboo began in Song Dynasty. He died at the age of sixty-one. Song Ke's calligraphy was quite famous in the Ming Dynasty, and together with Song Zhen and Song Guang who were good at calligraphy at that time, they were collectively known as the Three Song Dynasty.
Song Ke was born in a wealthy family. He was tall and tall, with a chivalrous heart. He was well-versed in books when he was young, kept guests at home, liked to drink, and was good at reading. When he came of age, he encountered the turmoil at the end of the Yuan Dynasty. He wanted to build his own merits, thank the guests and learn from the army, and wanted to go north to the Central Plains to raise the flag to start an uprising. Unexpectedly, the middle road was blocked, so he traveled up the river to Jinling, Kuaiji and other famous mountains and rivers. After returning home, he studied hard. When Zhang Shicheng came to Wu, he admired his name and wanted to recruit him as a guest of the curtain. But Keni thanked him and built a room in his home, which contained Dharma books and inscriptions from all dynasties, as well as inkstones from Zhou Yi and Han Dynasties. He said he traveled there to entertain himself. For a period of time, he indulged in calligraphy and worked very hard. According to the "History of Ming Dynasty·Wenyuan Biography", "He spent ten pieces of paper a day to dye Han Dynasty, and he became famous all over the world for his good calligraphy." He was unsuccessful in his official career until his later years. Hongwu initially got a minor official from Fengxiang Prefecture in Shaanxi Province, but soon resigned and returned to his hometown, where he interacted with celebrities at the time such as Yang Weizhen, Ni Zan and others, and responded with poems and paintings.