Speaking of the "Four Wonders" in Song Dynasty, we can cite many things from different angles. Here we refer to calligraphy, which was called "Song Sijia" in history. However, Cai, one of the "Song Sijia", is not Cai Jing, but Cai Xiang. The Water Margin was written at the end of Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of Ming Dynasty, which shows that at least in the early Ming Dynasty, the word "Cai" in "Song Sijia" refers to Cai Jing, perhaps because people's understanding of "books are like people" has not been widely recognized at that time.
Su Shi (A.D.1037-101) was born in Meishan, Sichuan. A famous writer, painter and calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty. In the second year of Jiayou (A.D. 1057), he was a scholar, and served as a minister of rites and a bachelor of Hanlin. He had a rough life and was exiled many times. When he was in Song Shenzong, he was highly valued, but because of the struggle between the old and new parties, he was repeatedly relegated and became a local official in Hangzhou, Mizhou, Xuzhou and Huzhou. He was framed and imprisoned for writing a poem that slandered state affairs. After he was released from prison, he was banished to Huangzhou. After several ups and downs, he was exiled to Huizhou and Qiongzhou and moved to Danzhou (now Danxian County, Hainan Province). Since then, he has lived a life of reading and painting. It was not until Fu Yuan's third year (A.D. 1 100) that Song Huizong acceded to the throne that he was pardoned and returned to the north. Jianzhong, who was on his way back to the North, died in Changzhou in July of Yuan Dynasty (A.D.11).
Su Shi is upright, broad-minded, brilliant, poetic and good at painting and calligraphy. His calligraphy draws nutrition from Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Chu Suiliang, Xu Hao, Li Beihai and Yang Ningshi, and strives for innovation on the basis of inheriting tradition. When talking about the process of his calligraphy creation, he said: "The method of writing is not perfect, but I can't get it all." He added: "I can't make a book with my heart. I'm tired of asking for it." He focused on "meaning" and sent his feelings to the book with "faithful hand". Su Shi's writing seems plain and simple, but it has a mighty air of Wang Yang sea. Like his profound knowledge, dragons are unpredictable. He is good at running script and regular script, and his brushwork is vigorous and natural, giving people the artistic beauty of "the breath of sea breeze" and "the shape of ancient stones"
Su Shi's calligraphy is highly respected by later generations. Huang Tingjian said in his "Valley Collection": "His book posture is charming ... until the wine is drunk, he forgets his work, and his words are extremely thin ... As for the round pen and rhyme, relying on the wonderful articles, loyalty and loyalty, being good at books, it is advisable to push (Su) first." Dong Qichang in the Ming Dynasty praised him for "completely using the front, which is the Lanting of Pogong". Handed down from ancient times, there are Qianchibi Fu, Huangzhou Cold Food Poem Post, Dongting Spring Fu, Zhongshan Songlao Fu and so on.
Huang Tingjian (A.D. 1045- 1 105), whose real name was Lu Zhi, later called Huanggu, later called Fuweng, was born in Fenning, Hongzhou (now Xiushui, Jiangxi). Poet and calligrapher of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the fourth year of Yingzong Zhiping (AD 1067), he was a scholar. In the third year of Zong Shenxi Ning (AD 1070), Wang Anshi, as the prime minister, implemented the new law, which was strongly opposed by conservatives headed by Sima Guang. Later, the struggle between the old and new parties intensified until the demise of the Northern Song Dynasty. In this struggle, Huang Tingjian sided with the old party. Although he didn't take an active part, he was involved in the vortex of struggle all his life.
Huang Tingjian came from Su Shi's school, and he was also called "Four Bachelor of Su Men" with Qin Guan and Chao. The important achievement is poetry. Poetics flaunted Du Fu, but emphasized reading and verifying, taking the old as the new, "no words to find", "thoroughly remoulding oneself, turning stone into gold" and other theories had great influence in the Song Dynasty, and created Jiangxi Poetry School.
Huang Tingjian is good at calligraphy and cursive script. At the beginning, he took Zhou Yue as his teacher, and later adopted Yan Zhenqing and Huai Su. Influenced by Yang Ningshi, he was particularly effective in "medical skill". The brushwork takes advantage of the situation, which is strange and stubborn, with wide font, thin brushwork and unique style. The Biography of Wen Yuan in the History of Song Dynasty said: "The articles learned by Ting Zhang are naturally acquired. Chen Shidao said that his poetics is Du Fu, he is good at cursive writing and his writing style is unique. He, Chao and Qin Guan traveled in Sumen, collectively known as the four bachelors in the world. " He himself said, "I studied cursive script for more than 30 years, and I took Zhou Yue as my teacher at the beginning, so I was full of vulgarity for 20 years." Su Caiweng was too late, and the beautiful book was written by the ancients. Later, I got the ink of Zhang Xu, Huai Su and Gao Xian, and got a glimpse of the wonderful brushwork. "Famous books include Song Fengge Poetry, Huangzhou Cold Food Poetry Postscript, Flower Fragrance Post, Hong Xian Poetry and so on.
Mi Fei (A.D.1051-KLOC-0/107) has a character, namely, a barbarian in Xiangyang, a scholar of the sea and the moon, and a layman in lumens. Originally from Taiyuan, Shanxi, I settled in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu. He is called "Mi Dian" because of his eccentric personality and crazy behavior, and he is called "brother" when he meets a stone. Zhao is a doctor of calligraphy and painting, known as Guan.
Mi Fei is good at poetry, calligraphy and painting, and his appraisal is accurate. He is a painter, appraiser and collector, especially good at calligraphy. When he was young, he studied hard Yan, Liu, Ou and Chu, and laid a solid foundation. When Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou, he visited for advice, and Dongpo advised him to study gold. From the fifth year of Yuanfeng (AD 1082), Mi Fei devoted himself to the study of Wei and Jin Dynasties, searched for many calligraphy posts of Jin people, and even named his study "Baojinzhai". Today, Wang Xianzhi's ink-and-wash autumn post is said to have been copied by him, which is both beautiful in form and spirit.
Mi Fei turned to many teachers all his life, and in his later years, he also said in the book "readme": "I am a beginner, so I should learn to write the wall first. I was seven or eight years old. The words are as big as a picture, so it is impossible to write simply. I saw Liu and admired his tight knot, so I learned Liu's Diamond Sutra. For a long time, knowing that it comes from Europe means learning from Europe. For a long time, such as printing plate arrangement, it is the longest time to learn from Chu, and the season of Mo Duan turns fat into beauty, and all sides are perfect. Over time, Jue Duan Quanze exhibited Lanting, so he joined the Jin and Wei Dynasties and abandoned Zhong Fang to study in Yigong. " The same is true of Liu Kuanbei. The seal characters love Chuchu and Shi Guwen. I also realized that bamboo slips are painted with bamboo, which is wonderful and ancient. Mi Fei claimed that his works were "collecting ancient Chinese characters", and he had a deep understanding of the brushwork, composition and charm of ancient masters, which also showed to some extent that Mi Fei had made great efforts in the tradition of learning books.
Miffy was not involved in the political whirlpool and her life was relatively stable. Later, he became a doctor of painting and calligraphy, enjoyed the collection of books in the palace and familiarized himself with the Millennium stories. The gains and losses of the ancients are countless. Mi Fei is famous for his calligraphy, and his achievements come entirely from his efforts the day after tomorrow. Miffy is in the swimming pool every day. Mi Fei wrote a book seriously, and said to himself, "I have written Haidai's poems three or four times, but it is hard to believe the book" (Yang Zhu of Mingming Fan Station Mi Fei). A poem has been written three or four times, and only one or two sentences satisfy him. Among them, the bitterness is beyond the reach of an expert, which also shows his rigorous creative attitude.
When the emperor asked about calligraphy, Mi Fei claimed to be "calligraphy". He is modest and practical, and he hits the nail on the head-he uses his pen quickly and forcefully, and he does his best. His calligraphy works, from poems to bamboo slips and inscriptions, are full of vitality and freshness. Judging from the existing nearly 60 Mi Fei's handwriting, the word "brush" vividly shows the spirit of the word "rice". No wonder Su Dongpo said, "Mi Fei gets carried away." He also said: "Haiyue has been a seal character, an official, a true character, a line and a cursive script all his life. When you are parallel to Zhong Wang, dive and be happy. Not only worth it. "
Mi Fei's calligraphy has reached a high level, and his calligraphy theory is quite a lot. He is the author of History of Books, Famous sayings of Hai Yue, Visiting Bao Lu, Copyright Review and so on. It shows his outstanding courage and refined taste, and often scoffs at his predecessors. However, he never followed the old saying and was valued by calligraphers of all ages. However, he also talked too much, belittled Ada and Xu Su, and was harsh and critical. The ink handed down from ancient times mainly includes Tiaoxi Poetry Collection, Shu Sutie, Anji, Fiona Fang, Ma Tiancai, etc., among which there are many Korean essays.
Cai Jing (A.D. 1047- 1 126), a native of Xianyou, Xinghua (now Xianyou, Fujian), was a scholar in Xining in the Northern Song Dynasty. Hui Zong was promoted to Zuo Cheng, a senior minister, and right assistant minister, with temporary real power. After repeatedly being dismissed from office, he came back again and again and was a veteran of the four dynasties. During Cai Jing's reign, he advocated the theory of "prosperity", ignored the actual situation of the country, unilaterally pursued high consumption, and artificially created the illusion that "things are wrong and people are rich", which led to a tragic "Jingkang Change" in the history of the Song Dynasty, which made him infamous and ranked first among the "four traitors" in the world.
Cai Jing's artistic talent is extremely high, and he is known as a gifted scholar. He has made brilliant achievements in calligraphy, poetry, prose and other artistic fields. At that time, people often used the words "peerless" and "unparalleled" when talking about his calligraphy. Even Miffy once said that his calligraphy was not as good as Cai Jing's. It is said that once Cai Jing was chatting with Mi Fei, Cai Jing asked Mi Fei, "Whose handwriting is the best today?" Mi Fei replied: "After Liu Gongquan in the late Tang Dynasty, you and your brother Cai Bian have to be counted." Cai Jing asked, "What next?" Miffy said, "Of course it's me".
Although Cai Jing's calligraphy works have not been handed down to the world, there are only Tie, Fu for the stork, Postscript and Eighteen Literati, but we can also get a glimpse of his calligraphy art from these works. For example, in Postscript of Eighteen Bachelor, the stippling is clear, the rhinoceros is vigorous and powerful, the words are clever, and it is better than the charm of two kings. It has a taste for Su Mi, and it is bold and pungent with a pen. The overall composition is ingenious, patchwork and neat, with elegant rhythm between the lines, quiet and distant poetry and refreshing Zen, which is a rare fine structure.
Cai Jing's calligraphy is vigorous, free and easy, elegant, relaxed, attractive and eye-catching. His artistic achievements are rare in the Northern Song Dynasty, and he can be regarded as a master.
Having said that, I have to mention Cai Xiang.
Cai Xiang (A.D. 10 12- 1067) was born in Xinghua, Mo Jun (now Xianyou, Fujian). Song Tiansheng was a scholar in the eighth year (1030). He has successively served as a collator of Guange, an admonition institute, a history museum, a royal patent, a bachelor of Longtuge, a bachelor of Privy Council, a bachelor of Hanlin, a third secretary and a bachelor of Duanming Temple, and served as a communications envoy on Fujian Road (now Fuzhou, Fujian) to know Quanzhou, Fuzhou and Kaifeng. The pawn gave "loyalty" to the assistant minister of does.
Cai Xiang is honest, trustworthy and knowledgeable. His calligraphy was highly praised by his contemporaries and enjoyed a high reputation. Su Dongpo and Ouyang Xiu were the first people who admired him the most. Su Dongpo pointed out in Dongpo's inscription: "Cai is the first in this dynasty because of his high intelligence, profound knowledge, corresponding heart and hand, and endless transformation." However, the running script is the best, the short script is the second, and the cursive script is the second ... I have also tasted the meaning of flying white, saying that there is a trend of flying dragons and dancing phoenix, and not many people know it. Ouyang Xiu spoke highly of Cai Xiang's calligraphy: "Since Su Zimei's death, I think the brushwork is absolutely perfect. In recent years, Mo Jun has been alone in the world, but he refuses to take the lead (Ouyang Wenzhong's public collection). Huang Tingjian also said: He Cai is a hero of calligraphy. Shen Kuo, a scientist in the Northern Song Dynasty, commented on Cai Xiang's cursive script in Meng Qian Bi Tan: "Taking prose pen as cursive script, it is called scattered grass or flying grass, and its methods are all from Bai Fei, and it has its own family. The ancient rhyme of Huai Su in Zhang Xu is changeable, melodious and full of ancient meaning. "
"The Biography of Cai Xiang in Song Dynasty" said: "The word is the best in the world, and Renzong loves it." Xu Jiang's Biography of Cai Xiang said, "I feel sorry for myself and have to use calligraphy and painting. Its broken chapters and manuscripts are well known, and it has been treasured so far, and Renzong especially likes to call it. " Zhu's "Continued Book": "The book of Cai Xiang has a lot of self-esteem, not a light book. Everyone hides them as treasures. Renzong loves his works ... and the "Wencheng Queen" written by the bachelor, which was written by him. Mo Jun refused to write this book. He said, "This is a job that needs to be entrusted." . Confucian works, so it's just a solo tour. Is it a skill? " "
There are many kinds of ink handed down by Cai Xiang, such as Zishu poems, Xie Shu poems, poems, Jiao Jiu poems, poems and so on. There are inscriptions on Wan 'anqiao and Zhou Jintang, as well as regular script "Forgetting the Stone" and "Crossing the Rock" of Lingyuan Cave in Gushan.
However, Cai Xiang is not a master of school. On the whole, his calligraphy abides by the laws of Jin and Tang dynasties, and his sense of innovation is slightly inferior. As far as calligraphy is concerned, Cai Jing is indeed better than Cai Xiang. Cai Xiang's calligraphy is inherited from predecessors, and it is too formal, which is an excess of the style of respecting calligraphy, while Cai Jing's courage to innovate is the main force of the style of respecting calligraphy, so it is vivid and more spiritual. As Mr. Qi Gong commented: "Cai Xiang, Ouyang Xiu and Liu Chang are a family of calligraphy styles in the Northern Song Dynasty, which have been inherited but not developed. As a case, Su Huang refused to accept the old cage and made major reforms without violating ancient laws. The two Cai's (referring to the brothers in Cai Jing) and Mi Fei belong to the same family. Their gestures are mixed in the opening, and they see their charm in their works. This case is really a giant among the Song people. " Therefore, the "Cai" is Cai Jing.
In fact, art, like science and technology, has no "class". We should treat objectively and dialectically the calligraphers who had "problems" in history, such as Zhao Mengfu, who was an official in the Song Dynasty, Wang Duo, who was cleared by ministers in the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, Qin Gui in the Southern Song Dynasty, Yan Song in the Ming Dynasty, similar to Cai Jing. We can't deny his achievements and contributions to calligraphy just because of his "political" problems. People are "guilty" and the art they create is not guilty. The correct attitude is to "destroy the enemy and collect their weapons".