First, Weibei
Weibei is the general name for the stone carvings in the Northern Dynasties during the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-588 AD), with the Northern Wei Dynasty as the most refined, which can be roughly divided into four types: tablet inscription, epitaph, statue and cliff stone carving. Calligraphy at this time is a transitional calligraphy system that connects the past with the future and opens up the future. Zhong Zhishuai said that Wei Bei "can see the old customs of Han and Qin dynasties from above, and can observe the habits of Sui and Tang dynasties from below." Wei Bei's calligraphy had a great influence on the formation of regular script in Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the process of innovation and change, calligraphers of past dynasties also learned useful essence from it.
Weibei has a variety of styles, simple and steep, comfortable and beautiful. Famous ones include Zheng Wengong Monument, Zhang Menglong Monument, Gao Zhen Monument, Yuan Huai Epitaph and Zhang Xuan Epitaph, which initiated the rule of regular script in Sui and Tang Dynasties. In the middle of Qing dynasty, he advocated "respecting monuments and restraining posts", which broke through the bondage of "pavilion style". With the rise of inscriptions, the style of calligraphy has changed.
Wei Bei inherited the tradition of Han Li and created a new style of Tang Kai, which laid a solid foundation for the structure and brushwork of modern Chinese characters. But there are many cliff carvings, which are carved directly on the stone surface, not the first book. Be careful not to exaggerate the knife marks when writing, so as not to form a habit.
Second, the application history
The Northern and Southern Dynasties was the first peak of the development of regular script. At that time, the north and the south were divided, and different calligraphy styles were formed between them. Zhong You and Wei Guan were the ancestors of the two schools, but Wang Xizhi was the ancestor of the Southern School, which inherited the atmosphere of Jiang's style and was more relaxed, and was known for its books and slips. Suo Jing is the sect of the Northern School, and it still inherits the ancient laws of the Central Plains, so it has a monument.
The monument of the Northern School was called "Weibei" by later generations. The famous stone carvings include Longmen 20 Pins, Zheng Wengong Monument, Yunfeng Mountain Stone Carving, Shimen Ming, Zhang Xuan Epitaph, Carved Epitaph and so on. Representative calligraphers are Gao Zun, Shen Fu, Yao and Zhao Wenshen.
Third, artistic features
Wei Bei is a kind of regular script, which is called the three regular script fonts together with Wei Kai, Jin Dynasty regular script and Tang Dynasty regular script. Weibei showed some transitional factors in the development of official script to typical regular script. There were regular scripts in Wei and Jin Dynasties, such as Zhong You's "Xianbiao" and Wang Xizhi's "Huangtingjing", which were relatively mature regular scripts. However, after a large number of intellectuals in the Western Jin Dynasty followed the southern Jin Dynasty, the calligraphy style in the Northern Dynasties was quite different from that in the Southern Dynasties.
Most of the existing inscriptions in the Northern Dynasties are written by anonymous folk calligraphers, which is naturally different from the so-called "verve" calligraphy style of scholars in the Southern Dynasties. Zhong You and Wang Xizhi completed part of the process from official script to official script. The folk calligraphers in the Northern Wei Dynasty did not inherit too many achievements because of the Jin Dynasty's southward crossing, but followed the development track of the original folk calligraphy and evolved directly from the official script in the Han and Wei Dynasties.
Compared with the inscriptions in the Southern Dynasties, Liu Xizai, a book critic in the Qing Dynasty, thought that "the book in the south is Wen Ya, and the book in the north is vigorous"; Compared with Kincaid, Tang Kai paid attention to statutes, and his writing style tended to be standardized and unified, while Wei Bei used his pen freely, and his writing style followed the trend.
Kang Youwei praised the "ten beauties" of Weibei in "Two Boats in Guangyi": "Only the north and the south in ancient and modern times, taking Weibei as an example. What can you live for? There are ten beauties: one is bold, the other is muddy weather, the third is bold brushwork, the fourth is bold point painting, the fifth is fantastic attitude, the sixth is vigorous spirit, the seventh is full of interest, the eighth is profound knowledge, the ninth is natural structure, and the tenth is rich flesh and blood, which is the only ten beauties in Weibei Nanbei. "
Zhong Zhishuai's Xue Xuan Shu Pin said: "Weibei calligraphy inherits the charm of Han Lizhi and opens the voice of Tang Kai." Some regular script writers in the early Tang Dynasty, such as Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan and Chu Suiliang, borrowed from Wei Bei.