In the history of Chinese calligraphy, the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, the father and son, is also known as the "Two Kings" calligraphy. Wang Xianzhi is the seventh son of Wang Xizhi. His calligraphy is innovative on the basis of Zhang Zhi and Wang Xizhi, which is called "breaking body" and "one-stroke method". In the history of calligraphy, the two of them are often evaluated in this way. Wang Xizhi used the "internal extension method" and was calm and reserved, while Wang Xianzhi used the "external extension method" and was bold and elegant. Why are their calligraphy different? Why is Wang Xizhi's calligraphy loved by all generations, but fewer and fewer people study Wang Xianzhi's calligraphy?
Marx has a famous saying, "The system of an industry is determined by its production tools and production methods." If writing is also regarded as an industry, then writing is a production tool and can be divided into two categories: One type is related to the body, that is, the heart and hands mentioned in the book theory; the other type is not related to the body, that is, pen, ink, paper and inkstone.
In ancient times, the production method was calligraphy, which included the method of holding the pen and the method of handling the pen. In traditional terms, it was desk writing and pen-tip writing. Before the middle of the Ming Dynasty, Chinese people mostly read writing on the table, and the characters were mostly very small. After the middle of the Ming Dynasty, calligraphy began to be hung on the wall, and calligraphy such as vertical scrolls, nave, and couplets were written in large characters.
During the Tang and Song Dynasties, the sitting posture of calligraphy changed. People in the Jin and Tang Dynasties often sat on the floor, leaning on a very short table, holding paper in their left hand and a pen in their right hand, often with three fingers. Mr. Qi Gong also mentioned this. After the Song Dynasty, people began to sit on high tables and chairs, and everyone changed to holding a pen with five fingers, but there were exceptions, such as Su Dongpo, who still held a pen with three fingers.
Therefore, Su Dongpo has a famous saying: "There is no fixed method for holding a pen, but it must be loose and wide." Generally speaking, when a person is sitting on the ground with a paper in his left hand and a pen in his right hand, his movements will be relatively light, and the thickness of the strokes in the same word will be about the same. There will be little change in lifting and pressing, because the paper cannot bear force.
As the sitting posture changes, the fingering techniques also gradually decline. When a person holds a pen and turns the pen with his thumb, turning from the fingertips to the palm is called inward stroke, and from the palm to finger is called outward extension. The difference between the brushwork of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi is that Wang Xizhi turns the brush from outside to inside, and the same is true for the brushwork of Yu Youren, Qigong and Pu Xinshe.
Wang Xianzhi rotates on both sides, which can be called "revolution" and "rotation", that is, he uses his fingers to turn the pen and his wrist and arm to turn it. The radius of rotation of the latter is larger than that of the former. If it is just a rotation, it is to use the internal rolling method, because it is a one-way right turn that will always end at the end. Therefore, for the past 1,700 years, people who have "internally practiced law", whether it is Wang Xizhi or Yu Youren, most of their words are not connected.