Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Qin and Han) - Li Si

Li Si, courtesy name Tongyou, was born in Shangcai, Chu (now Shangcai County, Henan). He was not only a famous calligrapher in the Qin Dynasty , but the first recorded innovator in the history of Chinese calligraphy. He played a pioneering role in the development of Chinese calligraphy. After Qin Shihuang unified the country, Prime Minister Li Si presided over the unification of the national script, which was a great achievement in the history of Chinese culture. Li Si is also a famous calligrapher in Qin. He presided over the arrangement of Xiaozhuan script. "Yishan Stone Carvings", "Taishan Stone Carvings", "Langya Stone Carvings" and "Kuiji Stone Carvings" were all written by Li Si. It has been highly praised throughout the ages.

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Eastern Jin Dynasty) - Wang Xizhi

Wang Xizhi (303-361, one work 321-379) was a calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty with a courtesy name of Yishao. He was originally from Langya (now Linyi, Shandong) and lived in Shanyin, Huiji (Shaoxing, Zhejiang). From official to general of the right army, he was an internal historian of Kuaiji and was known as "Wang Youjun". He was born into a prominent family in the Jin Dynasty. When Wang Xizhi was twelve years old, his father taught him the theory of brushwork. As a child, he learned calligraphy from Mrs. Wei, a famous female calligrapher at the time. After that, he crossed the Yangtze River and traveled to famous mountains in the north, learning from everyone's strengths. He learned from Zhang Zhi, a master of cursive calligraphy, and learned from Zhong Yao in his official calligraphy. Observing and learning the "methods of gathering together people to prepare a family", reaching the height of "Guiyue Group's products are the best in ancient and modern times".

Compared with the Han Dynasty and the Western Jin Dynasty, the most obvious features of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy style are his delicate brushwork and changeable structure. Wang Xizhi's greatest achievement was to enhance and detract from ancient calligraphy, transforming the simple calligraphy style of the Han and Wei dynasties into a calligraphy style of exquisite brushwork and beauty. The cursive script is dense and eclectic, the main script is clever and dense, and the running script is powerful and natural. In short, it introduces Chinese character writing from practicality to a realm that pays attention to technique and taste. In fact, this is the awakening of the art of calligraphy, marking that calligraphers not only discovered The calligraphy is beautiful and can express the beauty of calligraphy. Almost all later calligraphers copied Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, so he was known as the "Sage of Calligraphy". His regular scripts such as "Le Yi Lun", "Huang Ting Jing", "Dongfang Shuo Painting Praise", etc. "were very popular in the Southern Dynasties" and left various legends, and some even became the subject of paintings. His cursive script is respected by the world as the "Sage of Grass". There is no original copy of it, but there are many engravings of Dharma books, including "Seventeen Tie", Xiaokai Le Yi Lun, Huang Ting Jing, etc., and the ink-filled facsimile editions include Kong Shizhong Tie, Lanting Preface [Feng Chengsu's copy], Kuai Xue Shi Qing Tie, Frequent You There are mourning posts, mourning posts, distant eunuch posts, aunt posts, Ping An He Ru Feng Ju three posts, Han Qie posts, Xing Rang posts, as well as Tang monk Huairen's collection of books, "Holy Teaching Preface", etc. His calligraphy in "Lanting Preface" is charming, vigorous, elegant, fresh, pure and natural. It is Wang Xizhi's most proud work since ancient times. Known as the best running script in the world!

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Tang Dynasty) - Ouyang Xun

Ouyang Xun, courtesy name Xinben, was born in Linxiang, Tanzhou (now Changsha, Hunan). The world is known as Ouyang Shuigeng. The world calls his calligraphy "Shuigeng style". Yu Shinan said that he "can do whatever he wants regardless of paper and pen." And he can also write good official script. The "Stele of Xuzhou Governor Fang Yanqian" written in the fifth year of Zhenguan is his official script work. His calligraphy is best known as official script. Looking at his brushwork, he has both roundness and sharpness, as if a snake is frightened in the grass, and lightning flashes in the clouds. It is also like a diamond with angry eyes, and a powerful man shaking his fist." Among them, the strokes such as the vertical hook and so on are still official strokes. The "Inscription on the Relics of Zen Master Huadu Siyi", "The Monument of Yu Gonggong Wen Yanbo" and "The Monument of Huangfu's Birthday" written by him are known as "the first regular script in the Tang Dynasty". His regular script has a very serious formula both in pen and structure, making it the easiest for beginners to learn. The "Thirty-six Methods of Ouyang's Form" passed down by later generations are the rules of the form summarized from his regular script. His regular script "Zhang Han Si Yu Tie" is long and vigorous in style. Ink marks passed down from generation to generation are particularly precious. Ouyang Xun's son Ouyang Tong has a family history of calligraphy. Both father and son are famous in the calligraphy world and are known as "Ouyang and Ouyang". Xiao Ouyang's "Master Daoyin's Monument" has a stronger sense of officialdom, but it is too bold and too subtle, not as subtle as his father's. "The Monument of Duke Yu Gong", the full name is "The Monument of Duke Yu Gong and Wen Gong of the Tang Dynasty. , and the calligraphy is neat and neat, not under the second stele." He also sighed: "The letter was over eighty years old, but the calligraphy was so exquisite."

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Tang Dynasty) - Yan Zhenqing

Tang Jingzhao was born for ten thousand years, and his courtesy name was Qingchen. A Jinshi in Kaiyuan, he moved to the palace to serve as the censor. He was hated by Yang Guozhong and became the prefect of Pingyuan. He was called Yan Pingyuan in his old life. During the Anshi Rebellion, Yan fought against the thieves for meritorious service. He entered Beijing and served successively as the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, the Prince and Grand Master, and the founding Duke of Lu County, so he was also known as Yan Lu Gong in the world. During the reign of Emperor Dezong, Li Xilie rebelled, and Prime Minister Lu Qi sent Zhenqing to persuade him. However, Xilie stayed with him because he was loyal and unyielding, so he was hanged.

Zhenqing is a descendant of the Langya family. He has a profound family knowledge and is good at rulers and tablets. He learned his writing skills from Chu Suiliang and Zhang Xu. When they form one pattern, they are called "Yan Ti". Ouyang Xiu of the Song Dynasty commented: "Yan Gongshu is like a loyal minister, martyr, moral gentleman, he is dignified and respectful, and people are afraid of him at first sight, but as time goes by, he becomes more and more lovable. It is not necessary to see many treasures in the world, but even if there are many, he will not tire of them." "Ode to Dongfang Shuo's Paintings", "Duobao Pagoda Stele", "Yan Qin's Ceremony Stele", "Manuscripts of the Nephew Memorial", "Zhongxing Ode: Magu Immortal Altar", "Yanjia Temple Stele", "Fighting for a Seat Manuscript and Self-Report" are all his masterpieces.

"Manuscript of Memorial to Nephew" written in cursive calligraphy by Yan Zhenqing. Xian Yushu of the Yuan Dynasty commented on this post as "the second running script in the world".

In the original calligraphy of this calligraphy, all the places where the writing strokes and the pulling points are clearly visible, which allows people to see the process of writing and the wonderful changes of the strokes, which is of great benefit to learning cursive writing. The original remains are now in the National Palace Museum in Taiwan.

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Tang Dynasty) - Liu Gongquan

Liu Gongquan, courtesy name Chengxuan, was born in Huayuan, Jingzhao (now Yaoxian County, Shaanxi Province). He was a Jinshi at the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty. He served as a school secretary, a bachelor's scholar, and an official to the prince and grand master. He was known as Liu Shaoshi in the world. He lived in the Zhongtang period, which lasted through the three dynasties of Mu, Jing and Wenzong. At this time, the calligraphy reform movement in the Tang Dynasty was basically at its peak. The mission given to Liu Gongquan by the times was not to pioneer but to maintain success. Liu Gongquan's historical merit lies in his creative spirit to inherit the legacy of Yan Lugong. His achievements made him the top historical commentator of "Yan Jin Liu Gu", which brought a perfect end to the construction of calligraphy style in the Tang Dynasty. "Old Book of the Tang Dynasty" says: "Gongquan first learned Wang's calligraphy and read modern calligraphy. His style was vigorous and charming, and he became a family of his own. At that time, those who were not allowed to write in Gongquan's handwriting were considered unfilial. Foreigners who paid tribute were treated differently. Signing the currency, he said, "Here is the book of Liuzhou." It is known as "Yan Jin Liu Gu" in the world, pointing out the differences in their calligraphy. The character Liu avoids the fat vertical strokes of the character Yan, and writes the horizontal and vertical strokes generally evenly and thinly. He also absorbed the advantages of the sharp and angular Chinese characters in Beibei, and wrote the stipples as sharply and deeply as if they were cut with a knife. He also absorbed the tight structure of Yu and Ou's regular script and the vertical structure of Yan Zhenqing's regular script to write the unique Liu style.

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Song Dynasty) - Huang Tingjian

His courtesy name is Lu Zhi, also known as Valley Taoist, Fu Weng, and a native of Xiushui, Jiangxi. Later generations called him Huangshan Valley. "History of the Song Dynasty·Biography of Wenyuan" said of him: "Ting Jian's knowledge and articles are innate. Chen Shidao said that his poems were inspired by Du Fu's style. He was good at cursive calligraphy and had his own style of regular script. He visited Su Shi's gate with Zhang Lei, Chao Buzhi and Qin Guan. He said himself: "I have studied cursive calligraphy for more than thirty years. I first took Zhou Yue as my teacher, so I kept my vulgarity in mind for twenty years. Later I got Su Caiweng, and I learned about Zimei's calligraphy." Later, Zhang Changshi, Huai Su, and Gao Xian's ink were used to get a glimpse of the beauty of his calligraphy."

His running script, such as "Songfengge" and "Su Shi's Cold Food Poems" The use of the brush is as mentioned in Feng Ban's "Buyin Miscellaneous Records": "The brush starts from the middle of the painting, returns to the left and touches the wrist, and the actual painting reaches the right residence, but jumps again, just like the clouds encountering the wind, going and then returning. Ye." He started his strokes from the right to the left, from the hidden front in the painting to the left stroke, and then flattened out. "There is no level or slope", and he focused on changes when he started writing; Be good at hiding the edge, pay attention to pauses and setbacks, and use the "painting bamboo method to write calligraphy" to give people a "calm and happy" feeling. Its structure comes from Yan Lugong's "Ba Guan Zhai Hui Bao De Ji". The middle palace is tightened and radiated from the center to the outside. It stretches vertically and horizontally, like rowing an oar or a boat. It is grand and majestic. His personality characteristics are very obvious. To learn his calligraphy, you must pay attention to the "calmness and joy" of the dot painting brush and the stretch and magnanimity of the structure. As for his cursive script, Zhao Mengfu said: "The history book of Huang Tai has the meaning of Zhang Changshi's roundness and vigorous flying." "It is like a noble and elegant scholar, and it is admirable to read it." Let's look at his "Hua Qi Poems" The writing style is vigorous, clumsy is better than skillful, fat pens have bones, thin pens have flesh, "abnormal vertical and horizontal strokes, as powerful as flying". Its beauty is no less than that of regular script. "Please Come to Your Seat" is a rare masterpiece with "moving and graceful brushstrokes".

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Song Dynasty) - Wang Anshi

Wang Anshi (1021-1086), courtesy name Jiefu, later known as Banshan Old Man, was a native of Linchuan, Fuzhou (now part of Jiangxi). Politician, writer and thinker of the Northern Song Dynasty. Wang Anshi's calligraphy is simple and simple, and is highly praised by people in the Jin and Song Dynasties for their exquisite brushwork. Volume of "Essentials of the Sutra Sutra", paper, 29.9 cm in length, main book, two-jointed, 72 lines of sutras, ranging from 23 to 36 characters. "Penyan Sutra" translated by Emperor Bancimi of the Tang Dynasty. Ten volumes. Wang Anshi excerpted it from which Guanshiyin sends out the wonderful ear door, listening to it, thinking about it, and cultivating it. In this volume, there is running script in the middle of the main book, with light ink and quick writing, and the strokes are clear and vigorous. Although the lines are closely spaced and there are few gaps, there is no sense of confusion. Now in the Shanghai Museum.

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Song Dynasty) - Su Shi

Zizhan, also known as Dongpo Jushi, was a native of Meishan (now part of Sichuan). He, his father Su Xun, and his younger brother Su Zhe are famous for their poetry and prose, and are known as the "Three Sus" in the world. His calligraphy absorbed nutrients from the "Two Kings", Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Chu Suiliang, Xu Hao, Li Beihai, and Yang Ningshi, and worked hard to innovate on the basis of inheriting the tradition. When he talked about his calligraphy, he said: "The method of writing calligraphy requires limited knowledge and limited knowledge. In the end, the three cannot be perfect. I have both mind, eye and hand." When talking about his calligraphy art creation process, he said: "I calligraphy There is no way to create what you want, so the dots and paintings can be made by hand." He focused on writing "meaning" and expressed his feelings in the dots and paintings written by "hands of hand". He uses traditional techniques to create calligraphy art based on his profound understanding of calligraphy art. He enriches and develops traditional techniques in the creation of calligraphy art, rather than simply imitating ancient calligraphy mechanically. He used special methods that were different from ordinary people in the way he wrote, and also paid attention to the reform of writing tools. His representative works include "Dark Clouds in the Sky", "Spring Colors in Dongting", "Zhongshan Pine Mash Ode", "Spring Posts", "Poems about Wine", "Poems about Cold Food", "Poems in Sichuan", and "The Drunken Old Man's Pavilion" wait.

"Huangzhou Cold Food Poems" written by Su Shi. It is the representative work of Su Shi's running script. This is a poem of joy and excitement, which is the sigh of life written by Su Shi on the Cold Food Festival in the third year after he was demoted to Huangzhou. The poem is desolate and sentimental, expressing Su Shi's melancholy and loneliness at this time. The calligraphy of this poem was inspired by this mood and situation.

The calligraphy throughout the text is full of ups and downs, radiant and unrestrained, without any rash strokes. "Huangzhou Cold Food Poems" has a great influence on the history of calligraphy. It is called "the third running script in the world" and is also the best among Su Shi's calligraphy works.

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Song Dynasty) - Zhao Mengfu

Zi Ang, also known as Xuesong Taoist, also known as Crystal Palace Taoist, was born in Huzhou (Wuxing, Zhejiang). Descendants of Qin Wang Defang, the son of Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty. After the fall of the Song Dynasty, he returned to his hometown to live idle. Later, he was recruited by the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty and served in five dynasties. He became a scholar in the Hanlin Academy, received the imperial edict, was honored as a doctor, was granted the title of Duke of Wei, and was given the posthumous title of Wenmin. He is good at seal script, Li script, Kai script, Xing script and Cao script, and is the best in ancient and modern times. He is the author of "Songxue Zhaiji". Zhao Mengfu was an influential calligrapher in the early Yuan Dynasty. "History of the Yuan Dynasty" originally said, "Meng Fu's seal scripts, seal scripts, and official scripts are all the best in ancient and modern times, so he is famous all over the world for his books." High praise. According to Song Lian of the Ming Dynasty, Zhao's calligraphy learned from Siling (that is, Emperor Gaozong Zhao Gou of the Song Dynasty) in his early years, who "enlightened the eight methods wonderfully, and paid attention to the ancient elegance". . In addition, he also touched the Dingding Monument of the Yuan and Wei dynasties as well as Yu Shinan, Chu Suiliang and others of the Tang Dynasty, and gathered the great achievements of the previous dynasties. As Wen Jia said: "Wei Gong imitated all the excellent calligraphers of the ancients." Therefore, Zhao's success in calligraphy is inseparable from his ability to absorb the strengths of others. What is particularly valuable is that most calligraphers in the Song and Yuan Dynasties were only good at running and cursive styles, but Zhao Mengfu was able to master all styles. His articles are unparalleled in their time, and they also refer to the learning of Buddhism and Laoism. Many later generations learned Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy, and Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy was very popular in Korea and Japan. There are also excellent works in Zhao's regular script, such as "Sanmen Ji", which has a broad, profound and stable structure, smooth and rounded writing, and is most suitable for use as copybooks. Most of Zhao's handed down works are written in regular script, and most of them are written with exquisite penmanship and precise wording. For example, "Chibi Fu" can be regarded as a classic.

Tang Yin, one of the calligraphers of the past dynasties (Ming Dynasty)

Tang Yin, one of the "Four Great Masters of the Ming Dynasty", was known as the most talented man in Jiangnan in the middle of the Ming Dynasty. He is erudite and versatile, reciting poems and composing music, good at calligraphy and painting, and has experienced ups and downs. He is an outstanding painter in the history of Chinese painting.

Tang Yin's courtesy name is Bohu, and his courtesy name is Ziwei. His name is Taohua Temple Master. He was born in Tang Dynasty in the state of Lu. He is an immortal who escaped from Zen. He is Jieyuan in Nanjing and is the most romantic talent in the south of the Yangtze River. In his later years, he believed in Buddhism and was nicknamed Liuru layman. A native of Wuxian County (now Suzhou, Jiangsu Province). Tang Yin was born in a businessman family with a relatively low status. Under the leadership of "showing relatives and promoting fame" in the world, he studied hard. At the age of 11, he had excellent literary talent and good calligraphy. He was a scholar at the age of 16. He took part in the Nanjing Yingtian Township Examination at the age of 29 and won the first place "Jie Yuan".

Tang Yin's calligraphy is hidden by the name of the painting. He mainly learned from Zhao Mengfu and was more influenced by Li Beihai. He is handsome, tall and charming, with smooth and free strokes. However, his writing power is slightly weak and his hooks and strings are soft. , the structure is also slightly looser. Therefore, Wang Shizhen commented: "When Bohu enters the Wuxing Hall, he has weak ears."

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Qing Dynasty) - Deng Shiru

Deng Shiru, a native of Huaining, Anhui, formerly known as Yan , the courtesy name is Shiru, and the nickname is naughty boy. He was from Wanbaishan. He avoided the taboo of Renzong's name in the Qing Dynasty, so he used the courtesy name Xing. Born into a poor family, his ancestors' "latent virtues are not outstanding" character and "principal in learning and practice" studies, as well as Gao'an's rebellious character have a subtle influence on his growth. When he was about 20 years old, he began a lifelong traveling career, wandering around the country and looking for teachers and friends everywhere. His whole life, accompanied by hard work and self-improvement, devoted himself to art, was almost all about "traveling". He does not seek fame, does not admire glory, is not moved by external things, does not enter an official career, and always maintains his true character as a commoner. This is a pure artist who goes his own way and lives a free and easy life.

People at that time spoke highly of Deng Shiru's calligraphy skills, saying that he was "excellent in all four parts and ranked first in the country." His calligraphy was most outstanding in seal script, and the success of seal script lies in small seal script. His Xiaozhuan script, based on Si and Bing's masters, is slightly longer in structure, but creatively blends the official script writing style into it. He boldly uses long edges and soft brush strokes, and ups and downs, which greatly enriches the brushwork of seal script, especially the seal script in his later years. , the lines are round and thick, powerful and boundless, reaching the state of transformation, creating a model of seal script for the Qing Dynasty, and making an immortal contribution to the development of seal script art. Official script has benefited greatly from long-term immersion in the practice of Han steles. It can write official scripts in seal script, and with the power of Wei steles, its style is naturally unique. The regular script did not start from Tang regular script, but traced its origins and directly adopted the Wei stele. It mostly used square brushes, and the movement of the strokes contained the official meaning. The structure did not seek to be fair by the method of horizontal light and vertical weight, left low and right high, and elegant. The ancient, majestic and simple architecture is incompatible with the current customs of the pavilions, showing the spirit of courage to explore. Comparatively speaking, his cursive writing skills are not as strong as those of seal script and official script. This is the view of most people and will not be repeated here. Deng Shiru's seal cutting art is also worthy of special mention. I will discuss it with you in ancient seal cutting.

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (Qing Dynasty) - Wu Changshuo

A famous calligrapher, painter and seal carver in the late Qing Dynasty. His original name was Junqing, his courtesy name was Changshuo, and his nickname was Kutie. He was a native of Anji, Zhejiang. When he was young, he was influenced by his father and loved writing and engraving books. He first studied regular script from Yan Lugong and continued from Zhong Yuanchang; he studied official script from Han stone carvings; and he studied stone drum inscriptions from seal script. His writing method was initially influenced by Deng Shiru, Zhao Zhiqian and others, and he later integrated and adapted it in his later writing of "Shigu". . Sha Menghai comments: Mr. Wu tried his best to avoid the state of "taking advantage of others" and "taking advantage of others", and mixed the three styles of writing on Zhongding pottery, so he is much better than Zhao Zhiqian. Wu Changshuo's running script is influenced by the writing style of Huang Tingjian and Wang Duo, and the composition of Huang Daozhou. It is also influenced by the calligraphy style of Beibei and the writing style of seal script. It has great ups and downs, and is smooth and dangerous.

Calligraphers of the past dynasties (modern times) - Li Shutong

Li Shutong, master Hongyi, had a childhood name of Chengqi, a scientific name of Wen Tao, a courtesy name of Shutong, and many pen names and aliases, more than 250. His ancestral home is Pinghu, Zhejiang, and he was born in Tianjin. He is a famous calligrapher, painter, seal engraver, musician, dramatist, educator, poet, scholar, a pioneer in Sino-Japanese cultural exchanges, one of the top ten calligraphers and painters in China in the 20th century, and the eleventh generation ancestor of Nanshan Luzong. It integrates many subjects into one and reaches the pinnacle, which is unprecedented in China's five thousand years of history, and leaves the world with inexhaustible spiritual wealth. Throughout his life, he was a typical figure in China who was extremely brilliant but ended in mediocrity. He was also a peerless genius, renowned all over the world.

Li Shutong was very smart since he was a child. His father died when he was five years old, so he learned to recite famous poems and mottos from his mother Wang. He began to read classics and history books when he was ten years old, and later learned poetry, calligraphy, painting and seal cutting from Tang Jingyan and Zhao Youmei.

Mr. Li Shutong's calligraphy has long been famous in the modern Chinese calligraphy world. Modern cultural celebrities such as Lu Xun and Guo Moruo regard it as a supreme honor to obtain a calligraphy by the master.

Li Shutong's calligraphy can be divided into two periods, the first period before becoming a monk, and the second period after becoming a monk.