Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi (Eastern Jin Dynasty)

Ouyang Xun (Tang Dynasty)

Yan Zhenqing (Tang Dynasty)

Liu Gongquan (Tang Dynasty)

Zhao Mengfu (Yuan Dynasty)

In fact, there were many calligraphers in the Tang Dynasty

The masters of regular script include: Ouyang Xun (European style), Chu Suiliang, Yan Zhenqing (Yan style), Liu Gongquan (Liu style)

The masters of cursive calligraphy include: Sun Guoting, Zhang Xu, Huai Su and He Zhizhang.

Everyone who wrote running script is: Yan Zhenqing

They are all from the Tang Dynasty.

There were also many calligraphers in the Song Dynasty

The four masters of calligraphy in the Song Dynasty: Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang, referred to as Su Huang and Mi Cai

There are also Liu Zongyuan, Zheng Banqiao, etc.

Zhong Yao (151-230), courtesy name Yunchang, was a native of Changshe, Yingchuan, Wei Dynasty in the Three Kingdoms (now a native of Henan). He was promoted to Taifu and was granted the title of Marquis of Dingling. He was known as "Taifu Zhong". . Zhong Yao's calligraphers Cao Xi, Liu Desheng and Cai Yong drew on the strengths of other calligraphers and were good at various calligraphy styles, especially the official script and regular script. He concentrated the simple and easy elements in the regular script and broke the conventions of the official script. Change the flatness of official script into the squareness of regular script. Therefore, Zhong Yao became the ancestor of regular script. Together with the later Wang Xizhi, they are collectively known as "King Zhong". His handed down works include "Declaration Table", "Congratulation Table", "Power and Life Table", "Recommended Season Table", "Tiaoyuan Table", etc., among which "Declaration Table" is the most famous.

After Zhong, the most famous are Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi and their sons.

Wang Xizhi (303-361 AD), courtesy name Yishao, was born in Linyi, Langya, Eastern Jin Dynasty. He was promoted to general of the Youjun Army and internal historian of Kuaiji, so he was known as "Wang Youjun" and "Wang Neishi". His calligraphy has reached the level of "the most outstanding calligraphers in Guiyue and Yue, both in ancient and modern times", and he is respected as the "Sage of Calligraphy" in Mozhi and Beijing in ancient and modern times. His regular script works handed down from generation to generation are all in small regular script, and his representative works include "Huang Ting Jing" (see Figure 2-25), "Le Yi Lun", "Cao E Stele", "Dongfang Shuo Painting Praise", etc.

Wang Xianzhi, also known as Zijing, is the seventh son of Wang Xizhi. He learned calligraphy from his father since he was a child. He is rarely famous and is respected as "Little King". Only the small regular script of "Thirteen Lines of Luo Shen Fu" has been handed down. His handwriting had nine lines in the Song Dynasty, and Jia Sidao added four lines, making a total of 13 lines carved on jade, so it is called "Thirteen Lines on the Jade Edition".

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Northern Dynasties were constantly at war, but these northern ethnic minorities were influenced by the culture of the Central Plains and the South and developed a new culture. In calligraphy, stone carvings were popular in the Northern Dynasties. In the history of calligraphy, we call the stone carvings of the Northern Dynasties "North Stele". It created a new era in the history of regular script. The most popular Northern stele is the Wei stele, so we often call it the Northern Wei calligraphy style. Since most of these stone carvings were made by lower-class calligraphers, they were rough and sloppy, often filled with typos and typos. The names of the authors are also numerous. The stone carvings of the Northern Wei Dynasty were mostly in the form of tombstones, epitaphs, cliffs, statues, etc. The more famous ones include "Twenty Products of Longmen", "Songgaoling Temple Stele", "Zhang Xuan's Epitaph", "Zheng Wengong Stele", "Zhang Menglong Stele", "Cui Jing's Epitaph", etc. Among them, "Twenty Products of Longmen" is a prayer for blessings for living people or salvation of the dead. It was carved into a Buddha statue on the cliff of Longmen in Luoyang, Henan Province, and attached with an inscription, which is called a statue. Later generations selected the twenty most exquisite calligraphers, collectively known as the "Twenty Calligraphy Calligraphers of Longmen". We illustrate one of them, "The Statue of Shi Ping Gong".

The calligraphy of the Sui Dynasty was also mainly about engraving steles. The main ones include the "Longzang Temple Stele" - known by later generations as "the No. 1 Stele of the Sui Dynasty", "Su Xiaoci's Epitaph", "Dong Meiren's Epitaph", etc.

The Tang Dynasty was a prosperous and powerful dynasty in Chinese history. Literature and art were also the most glorious era in the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty was the golden age of calligraphy. A large number of calligraphers and excellent calligraphy works emerged. Moreover, due to the advocacy of Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty, calligraphy was included in education, recruitment, and officialdom. Regular script entered its heyday in the early years of the Tang Dynasty. There were many great calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty, among whom Ouyang Xun, Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang and Xue Ji made outstanding achievements. The four of them were collectively called the "Four Calligraphers of the Early Tang Dynasty" by later generations.

Ouyang Xun, also known as Xinben, served as an official to Prince Shui Geng, and was known as "Ouyang Shui Geng" in the world. His regular script is strong and vigorous, strict in rules, and has a smooth structure with danger and mystery. His regular script was regarded as the ultimate standard of regular script by later generations, and was called "European style" or "Shuigeng style". Representative works in regular script include "Inscription on Liquan of Jiucheng Palace", "Stele on the Birthday of Huangfu", "Inscription on the Relic Pagoda of Zen Master Yong of Huadu Temple" (referred to as "Inscription on the Pagoda of Huadu Temple"), "Stele of Yu Gonggong Wen Yanbo" and so on. It is especially famous for the "Jiucheng Palace Liquan Inscription" (see Figure 2-34). This monument, referred to as "Jiucheng Palace", best represents the European style of Fengshen. Commentators often call it "the authentic regular script" and "the crown of true script". His brushwork is steady and flat, with a long structure and a delicate yet sinister edge. Therefore, the stele is very famous. It has been extensively copied and damaged, and it has been washed and chiseled by later generations, so it has lost its original appearance.

Yu Shinan, courtesy name Bo Shi, was promoted from official to secretary supervisor. He was granted the title of son of Yongxing County and was known as "Yu Yongxing" in the world. He once studied under Zhiyong and obtained the true biography of Wang Xizhi. His regular script inherits from the two kings, and his spirit is internal, moist and gentle. Only the regular script works "Confucius Temple Stele" (see Figure 2-35) and the small regular script "Preface to the Theory of Breaking Evil" have been handed down to the world. "The Confucius Temple Monument" was written by Yu Shinanzhong in his later years. It conforms to the standards of "Thirteen Lines on the Jade Edition" and is beautiful, round and without any anger. Huang Tingjian, a calligrapher and writer of the Song Dynasty, wrote a poem praising: "The Yu Shu of Confucius Temple is engraved by Zhenguan, and one can buy it with a thousand taels of gold."

This shows how precious this monument is.

Chu Suiliang, also known as Dengshan, was an official who admonished officials, was appointed Zhongshu Ling, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and was granted the title of Duke of Henan Province. He lived in "Chu Henan". He was known for his good calligraphy and was more important than Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty. . He deeply understood the essence of the Sui Dynasty stele, and also referenced Yu Shinan and Wang Xizhi. His representative works include: "Yanta Sacred Preface", "Master Meng Stele", "Yique Buddhist Niche Stele". "Ni Kuan Zan", "Yin Fu Jing", "Fang Xuanling Stele", etc. Among them, "Yanta Sacred Preface" (see Figure 2-36) is the masterpiece of his later years. Known for its thinness and toughness, Chu's calligraphy became a fashion as soon as this stele came out.

Xue Ji, courtesy name Si Tong, served as Prince Shaobao and Minister of Rites, and was known as "Xue Ji's regular script" in the world. It is close to Chu's style, but more unique. At that time, there was a saying that "you can get Xue by buying Chu without losing his integrity". He did not have many surviving works, among which "The Monument of Zen Master Xinxing" is more famous.

In addition to these four calligraphers, Ouyang Tong, Zhao Mo, Feng Chengsu, Jingke, Zhong Shaojing, etc. are all very famous calligraphers, but their influence seems not to be as great as the four calligraphers in the early Tang Dynasty. Although they developed their own method, they never left the traditional style of elegance and elegance initiated by the two kings. In the middle and late Tang Dynasty, an innovative calligrapher emerged in the calligraphy world. He founded a sect and became a famous calligrapher in the history of calligraphy. An epoch-making figure. He is the most important and prominent calligrapher in the late Tang Dynasty - Yan Zhenqing. The founder of the country was known as "Yan Lu Gong" in his later life. He was a loyal and upright person, and he was the leader of the alliance and resisted the rebels during the Anshi Rebellion. During the Tang Dezong period, Li Xilie rebelled, and Yan Zhenqing went to persuade him and was killed. Yan Zhenqing died because of his character, knowledge and wisdom. The advancement of the art of calligraphy created a new style of calligraphy besides the Erwang system.

Yan Zhenqing's regular script can be roughly divided into three stages of development (see Figure 2-37). ), "Dongfang Shuo's Collection of Paintings" are his early works, which are characterized by their strictness and majesty, both square and round shapes, with a slight hint of official style, and the straight-strokes of the characters are drawn in a back-up style, and "The Temple Monument Presented to Taibao Guo Jing". " is the representative work of the middle period. Its characteristics are: the brush strokes are mostly round, the vertical paintings are thick and heavy, and the "Yan Qin Ceremony Stele", "Magu Immortal Altar" (see Figure 2-38), "Yan Weizhen's Family Temple". "Stele" and "Stele of Li Xuanjing" are his late works, which are characterized by: thin and vigorous horizontal paintings, thick and heavy vertical paintings, strong and broad characters, calm and square. Yan Zhenqing has made great contributions to the history of Chinese calligraphy. His regular script is. An excellent model for future generations to learn from.

After Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan was the one who made greater achievements and had a greater influence on later generations.

Liu Gongquan was a famous calligrapher in the late Tang Dynasty and was good at regular script. , running and cursive scripts, and regular script has the most profound skills. He is known as Liu Shaoshi in the world. He learned from the ancients but did not follow them, and created his own unique style "Liu style". Liu script followed Yan script and had a great influence on later generations. The calligraphy style is also known as "Yan Jin Liu Gu". There is one thing that made Liu Gongquan famous throughout the ages. This is the matter of pen admonishment. Mu Zong was a foolish king, but he was also elegant. One day, he asked Liu Gongquan about his writing skills. Liu replied: "Use the pen to the heart, and the heart will be straight, and the pen will be straight." This statement not only illustrates the inherent connection between ideological cultivation and the art of calligraphy, but also obviously contains a satirical meaning, so it has been passed down as a "brush remonstrance" by later generations. His representative works include: "Shence Army Stele", "Mysterious Tower Stele", "Li Sheng Stele" and so on. It is especially famous for the "Shence Military Monument" (see Figure 2-39). This stele was written when he was sixty-five years old. His pen was decisive and his bones were strong, earning him the reputation of "the bones of the willows and the muscles of the face". The world commented that this stele "has a majestic wind spirit and a gentle demeanor, which is the most wonderful thing in his life."

In the Five Dynasties and Song Dynasty after the Tang Dynasty, in the three to four hundred years, the study of calligraphy flourished greatly, and the tablets were seen sparse. Although there are many people who are good at calligraphy, they are not as good as those in the Tang Dynasty. In the calligraphy circles of the Song Dynasty, the famous "Su, Huang, Mi, and Cai" (referring to Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang) mostly developed new artistic conceptions in running script. Regular script only inherited the previous generation. Nothing new.

Since 1271, Kublai Khan, the founder of the Yuan Dynasty, destroyed the Southern Song Dynasty, unified the country, and established the Yuan Dynasty. The Yuan Dynasty, which lasted for more than ninety years, can be said to be a retro era of calligraphy. The person with the greatest achievements should be the first to recommend Zhao Mengzhaoye.

Zhao Mengzhaoye, whose courtesy name is Ziang, is also known as Songxue Taoist, Ou Bo, Crystal Palace Taoist, etc. He was a member of the clan of the Song Dynasty and was highly appreciated by the emperor of the Yuan Dynasty. During the reign of Emperor Renzong, he was granted the imperial title of Imperial Scholar Chengzhi and Honorable Doctor. After his death, he was granted the title of Duke of Wei, with the posthumous title of Wenmin! The seal, 籀, Fen, Li, Zhen, Xing and cursive scripts are all the best in ancient and modern times, so they are famous all over the world. "We often talk about the four styles of "Yan, Liu, Ou, and Zhao". Among them, Yan, Liu, and Ou are from the Tang Dynasty, and Zhao Meng Zhaoye is from the Yuan Dynasty. He has transcended the era and is directly on par with the Tang people. It can be seen that Zhao Meng Zhaoye is in the history of calligraphy. His calligraphy dominated the calligraphy circles of the Yuan Dynasty, and during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, even book engravings mostly used Zhao style, which shows the broad and profound influence of Zhao Mengzhaoye's calligraphy on later generations. p>

He pursues the two kings, with beautiful structure and round strokes. He is gentle and elegant on the outside and strong and powerful on the inside. Another major feature of Zhao character is its practicality. When studying Ou and Yan, you often have this experience: Xi Ou. Adversity can lead to failure in learning beauty; learning Zhao Ti can often avoid this trouble. Zhao Meng Zhaoye has left us a large number of precious legacies. The number of his handed down works is probably unparalleled in history.

Representative works in regular script include: "Miaoyan Temple", "Fu Shen Guan Ji", "Dangba Stele", "Sanmen Ji", "Qiu'e Stele" and so on. In 1368, Zhu Yuanzhang overthrew the Yuan Dynasty and established the Ming Dynasty, which lasted for 276 years. In the past three hundred years, Zhao Mengzhaoye's barriers were almost never broken. Those who are good at regular script include Wen Zhengming, Zhu Yunming, Wang Chong, Dong Qichang, etc. Among them, Wen Zhengming can be regarded as the best.

Wen Zhengming, originally named Bi, also known as Hengshan Jugu, was born in "Wenhengshan". He once worked for the Hanlin Academy, so he was also called "Wen Daizhao". He was not smart when he was young. When he was young, he took the student examination and was ranked third class because of poor handwriting and could not take the higher-level provincial examination. This was a very embarrassing thing at the time, but it hit him hard. Instead of being discouraged, he worked hard to practice calligraphy. He used other people's rest and game time to practice writing in silence. He usually wrote meticulously and would rewrite whenever he felt dissatisfied. He continued this habit until his later years. The reason why he has achieved great results may have something to do with this habit. His calligraphy is famous for its neatness and standard, which is more popular among the world. It is profound, rigorous, simple, steady and beautiful. The lack of variation is a minor flaw. His famous regular script works include: "Thousand Character Essay", "Li Sao Jing", "Yue Fu" and "Xue Fu".

In the Qing Dynasty calligraphy circles, seal script and official script were the most popular. More than previous generations, this has been discussed before. As for regular script, it can be said that it was the era of Wuwei. , whose courtesy name is Yifu, whose name is Bei'an. He is a talented artist who is good at calligraphy and seal cutting. His regular script is powerful and stable. Under the influence of Bao Shichen's calligraphy theory at that time, Specializing in Beibei, through his efforts, he eliminated the domineering spirit in Beibei and created a fresh and unique calligraphy style. His works include "Nan Tang Ji Zi" and "Bei'an Remaining Ink". (Collection of calligraphy and painting in ten volumes).

Dong Qichang (1555-1636), also known as Xuanzai, also known as Xiangguang, also known as Sibai, was under the jurisdiction of Shanghai County, Songjiang Prefecture in the Ming Dynasty (now part of Shanghai City). ) was born in Dongjiahui on January 19, the 34th year of Jiajing reign (1555). When he was seventeen, he took the Songjiang Prefecture Examination and wrote a very proud eight-legged essay. He thought he was sure to win the first place, but when the examination was announced, he was ranked lower than his nephew Dong Yuanzheng. The reason was that the prefect Zhong Zhenji thought that his handwriting on the test paper was poor. Although his writing was good, he could only be ranked second. Inspired by this, he devoted himself to learning calligraphy. At first, he took "Duobao Pagoda Calligraphy" by Yan Zhenqing of the Tang Dynasty as a model, and later switched to studying calligraphy works of Wei and Jin Dynasties, copying the calligraphy works of Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi.

After more than ten years of hard work. With hard work, Dong Qichang's calligraphy has made great progress, and he has gradually started to learn landscape painting. In the seventeenth year of Wanli (1589), Dong Qichang finally passed the examination and was selected as Shuji Tu for his excellent articles and calligraphy. He entered the Hanlin Academy for further study. This year he was thirty-five years old.

In addition to studying classics and history, Dong Qichang discussed calligraphy and painting techniques with colleagues and friends, discussed ancient and modern times, and reviewed the works of Jin, Tang, and Song Dynasties. , Yuan Fa's treasure paintings, imitating them with his heart, and sometimes forgetting to eat and sleep, so he made great progress in learning and became famous in Beijing. In his hometown, Dong Qichang built "Laizhong Tower", "Baoding Zhai" and "Xihong Hall". , "Painting Zen Room", "Fragrant Light Room", etc., toothpicks and jade scrolls, pictures on the left and history on the right, you can put yourself in them, write books and explore the art of calligraphy and painting in ancient and modern times. He spared no effort to collect the Dharma books of Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Xie An, Huan Wen, Zhao Gui and Mi Fu, and published the "Xihongtang Dharma Notes" in the 31st year of Wanli. When he was ill and resting in Songjiang, he was in the prime of his forties. He was well-read and well-informed, and collected many good points. He lived in Linquan for a long time, and his mind and hands were familiar. He created "Visiting Ancient Pictures in Fengjing" and "Pictures of Helin Chunshe" (Figure 5) There are many famous landscape paintings depicting the scenery of the south of the Yangtze River, such as "Fulan Warm Green Picture", "Shenlou Picture", "Eight Views of West Lake", "Stream Circulation Picture" and so on.