Personality problem has always been a big problem that puzzles Zhang Ruitu to get a high evaluation in the history of calligraphy. Many people, admiring Zhang Ruitu's calligraphy, tried their best to defend his "eunuch" politics. For example:
Ding (1994): "For Ruitu, the matter of Shu Dan is completely different from the nature of' attachment' because it belongs to metaphysics. Moreover, it is not what Ruitu wants to do. "
Chen Cunguang (1994): "Zhang did not claim to be a eunuch, nor did he flatter himself. When he became a doctor in the shrine, he dared not avoid it and was careless about his fate. It was a temporary loss, not flattery. "
Liu Heng (1992): "There are indications that Zhang Ruitu did not participate in any major activities after he joined the eunuch group. On the contrary, at the critical moment of the Wei Party's desperate struggle, especially when Wei Zhongxian gained the upper hand, he withdrew from Jinjiang at a distance. Obviously, Zhang Ruitu has adopted the principle of self-discipline. It is precisely because of this that cabinet ministers who were later excluded by the Wei Party, according to the red book and official documents entered by the ministers for Wei Zhongxian, determined the list of crimes of disobedience and gave the conclusion that it was' untrue'. "
In fact, there is no need to dwell on the so-called character and books. There is no necessary connection between political moral judgment and artistic judgment.
"Books value people" and "Books are like people" are a view of calligraphy art based on Confucianism. Xiong's "Fa Yan Wen God" said: "Books, heart paintings; The heart is shaped, and the gentleman and the villain see it. " Liu Gongquan said, "The heart is right and the pen is right." Zhang Tang said, "A few words in the text are its meaning, and a word in the book is its meaning."
This view was deeply rooted in the Ming Dynasty. At the end of the Ming Dynasty, Xiang Mu put forward the theory of "taking heart as the heart", emphasizing that "people should correct calligraphy" and "correct calligraphy", so they should be upright. That's right. That's why I'm free. "In Shu Pin Ya Yan, he thinks:" On books, such as on phase, on books, such as viewing people. "
Most calligraphers agree that personality affects calligraphy style, and they exaggerate the projection of people's subjective spirit in calligraphy performance. A considerable number of people in the field of calligraphy theory put forward the personality problem as the aesthetic category of calligraphy, and thought that the evaluation of calligraphy must examine the calligrapher's character. Those who think that the character is bad and the morality is corrupt will certainly be shown in his works; On the contrary, those people who are noble in character and strong in spirit will certainly be revealed between his lines.
Therefore, in the history of China's calligraphy, Yan Zhenqing's artistic level was promoted by his character, while Cai Jing's present artistic level always depended on his character. The integrity of Yuan Zhao Mengfu also affected people's recognition of his calligraphy value.
However, Zhang Ruitu and Wang Duo are very special exceptions. The achievements of calligraphy art were recognized by people at that time, and Ming history also called it "Xing, Zhang, Mi and Dong". Comment on Wu Qin-Dexuan's On Lou Shu in the First Month: "Zhang (Zhang Ruitu) and Wang Juesi (Wang Duo) are depressed, but their ci writing has the style of everyone in the Northern Song Dynasty. How can they be abandoned by their own people? "
It should be taken into account that a person's artistic attainments are not a direct copy of life and character, and books are not necessarily equal to character. Su Dongpo holds this view. The gentle and charming running and skillful brushwork interweave into a contradictory image of Zhang Ruitu, which is enough to prove that calligraphy may not be as good as it is.
The formation of artistic charm and interesting algae has its own development law, especially the calligraphy art with strong formal beauty and abstraction, and its style depends more on aesthetic concepts than moral concepts. After all, the expressive essence of calligraphy art belongs to the aesthetic category, and it is difficult to make a fair judgment simply by moral ethics. The evaluation standard of calligraphy can only be calligraphy itself. Therefore, Zhang Ruitu's calligraphy is still recognized by the society and has unique aesthetic value.
Some people think that Zhang Ruitu is a coward by nature. Even though he is in a high position, he dare not disobey him. He can only go with the flow and flatter Weiss, thus pushing himself into the ranks of "eunuchs". He can't balance extreme psychological contradictions, and his political repression is balanced by artistic catharsis. Zhang Ruitu, with his unique aesthetic pursuit, placed himself in a kingdom of spiritual strength, did not repeat the classical style of his predecessors in a superior manner, and created a "rebellious" image in calligraphy, which was conspicuous and unobtrusive, reflecting his painful and regretful mood. His sharp pen, sharp light and varied brushwork have a strong sense of rhythm; It shows unprecedented self-restraint psychology, giving people a nervous artistic feeling and strong artistic shock.
As for the poem "Ni Hua" by Weng Fanggang, a former calligrapher in the Qing Dynasty: "Books are like Zhang Ershui?" A poem for Wang Suidong. He evaluated Ni Zan's calligraphy and Zhang Zhi's character. We can also see his evaluation of calligraphy aesthetics and calligrapher's character as a great calligrapher. (Ni Zhe, Ni Ye. Sui Dong, Wang Siren. )