Mi Fu (1051~1107), a Chinese calligrapher, painter and theorist of calligraphy and painting in the Northern Song Dynasty. His first name was Fu, later he was changed to Fu, with the courtesy name Yuanzhang, and his nicknames include Xiangyang Jushi and Haiyueshanren. His ancestral home was Taiyuan, and he later moved to Xiangyang, Hubei Province, and lived in Runzhou (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province) for a long time. He once served as school secretary, doctor of calligraphy and painting, and wailang of the Ministry of Etiquette. He is good at poetry and calligraphy, and is good at calligraphy styles such as seal script, official script, regular script, running script, and cursive script. He is good at copying ancient calligraphy to the point of imitating the real calligraphy. At first, he studied under Ouyang Xun and Liu Gongquan. His calligraphy was tight and his strokes were straight and vigorous. Later he studied under Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. His posture expanded and his strokes were thick and vigorous. He called himself a "brush calligrapher" and together with Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and Cai Xiang, he was called the Song Dynasty. Four great calligraphers. He is good at painting dead wood, bamboo and stone, especially ink and wash landscapes. He uses dots in calligraphy to paint, and uses large strokes of ink to express the Jiangnan landscape in the changing smoke, clouds, wind and rain. It is known as Mi's Cloud Mountain and is full of creativity. Mi Fu's calligraphy ink that has been handed down from generation to generation includes "A Condolence to the Queen Mother", "Shu Su Tie", "Tiaoxi Poetry Tie", "Worship to Zhongyue Ming Tie", "Hongxian Poetry Scroll", "Nine Cursive Script Tie", "Duojinglou" "Poetry" and so on, but no paintings have been handed down from generation to generation. The author of "Shanlin Collection" has been lost. His theories on calligraphy and painting can be found in his books such as "History of Calligraphy", "History of Painting", and "Records of Baozhang Waiting for Visits".
Because of his weird personality and crazy behavior, he called him "brother" when he met a stone and worshiped him endlessly, so he was called "Midian". Huizong awarded him a doctorate in calligraphy and painting, and was known as "Minan Guan". Mi Fu is good at poetry and prose, is good at calligraphy and painting, and is a calligrapher, painter, connoisseur, and collector. He is one of the "Four Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty" (Su, Mi, Huang, and Cai) and is second to none. His calligraphy style is casual and unrestrained, but also strict with the law. "History of the Song Dynasty·Biography of Wenyuan" says: "Fu is particularly good at calligraphy, his calmness and flying skills, and he has captured Wang Xian's brushstrokes."
Mi Fu studied calligraphy the most and achieved the greatest achievements in his life. Mi Fu claims that his works are "collections of ancient characters", and he has a deep understanding of the ancient masters' brushwork, composition and charm. This also shows to a certain extent that Mi Fu has put a lot of effort into the tradition of studying calligraphy. Mi Fu was not involved in the political whirlpool and lived a relatively stable life. Later, he became a doctor of calligraphy and painting. He had a thorough understanding of the imperial collection of books, and was familiar with thousands of stories. When he was young, he studied hard Tang Kai scripts such as Yan, Liu, Ou and Chu, and gained solid basic skills. When Su Shi was demoted to Huangzhou, he went to visit him for advice, and Dongpo persuaded him to learn from Jin. Beginning in the fifth year of Yuanfeng (1082), Mi Fu devoted himself to the Wei and Jin Dynasties. Taking the calligraphy style of the Jin people as his guide, he searched for many Jin people's Dharma texts, and even named his study "Baojin Zhai". The "Mid-Autumn Tie" written by Wang Xianzhi today is said to be his copy, and it is extremely exquisite in form and spirit. Mi Fu studied under many teachers throughout his life, and he also said this in his "Autobiography" written in his later years: "I first learned to write on the wall when I was seven or eight years old. The characters were so big that I couldn't write them on the bamboo slips. I admired Liu when he saw them. The tight knot is learned from Liu's "Diamond Sutra". After a long time, I know that it comes from Europe. Later, Duan Quanze exhibited "Orchid Pavilion", and then read the "Taiwan". After entering the Jin and Wei Dynasties, he abandoned Zhong Fang and studied "Liu Kuan Stele", which is also the seal script of "Zui Chu" and "Shigu Wen". The paint is made of bamboo, and the inscription on the tripod is wonderful and ancient."
Mi Fu is famous for his calligraphy. His achievements are entirely due to his hard work. Mi Fu visits the pond every day. Historical records record: "One day. If you don't write for a day, you will feel dull, thinking that the ancients never used up their books for a moment. "Zhiyong can reach Youjun (Wang Xizhi) by making an inkstone, and if he penetrates it, he can reach Zhong (Yao) and Suo (Jing)." You can always encourage it." His son Mi Youren said that he did not forget to write even on the first day of the new year. (According to Sun Zubai's "Mi Fu Mi Youren"). Mi Fu was very conscientious in writing. He said: "She wrote "Hai Dai Shi" three or four times, with one or two good words in between. It is also difficult to write letters" (Mi Xiangyang Foreign Notes by Fan Mingtai of the Ming Dynasty). After writing a poem three or four times, I am still satisfied with only one or two words. The joys and sorrows involved are beyond the reach of an expert, which also shows the rigor of his creative attitude.
Mi Fu's calligraphy ranks among the four calligraphers of the Song Dynasty, after Su Dongpo and Huang Tingjian, and before Cai Xiang. However, regardless of Su Dongpo's status as a literary sect and Huang Tingjian's influence as the leader of the Jiangxi Poetry School, as far as calligraphy is concerned, Mi Fu has the most profound traditional skills, especially running script, which is superior to the two. Dong Qichang of the Ming Dynasty said in his "Essays on Painting a Zen Room": "When I tried to comment on the word rice, I thought that the Song Dynasty was the best, after all, it was on the east slope. That is to say, the calligraphy of Mi Dian was more self-satisfied, but it changed in his later years, and it was as cold as water. Strange." When the emperor asked about calligraphy, Mi Fu claimed that he was a "brush calligrapher". He was modest in appearance but focused on the essentials. "Brush calligraphy" reflected that he used the pen quickly and vigorously, and did his best with all his heart.
His calligraphy works, ranging from poems and calligraphy to small rulers, inscriptions and postscripts, are characterized by joyful, dynamic, dynamic, vigorous and fresh. Judging from the nearly 60 existing handwritings of Mi Fu, the word "brush" vividly expresses the spirit of the word "rice". No wonder Su Dongpo said: "The calligraphy of Mi Fu is so enchanting." He also said, "Hai Yue lived his life." His calligraphy in seal script, official script, official script, and cursive script is calm and joyful, and he deserves to be compared with King Zhong. "Mi Fu's calligraphy had a profound influence, especially in the late Ming Dynasty, and there were many scholars, such as Wen Zhengming and others. Celebrities such as Zhu Yunming, Chen Chun, Xu Wei, Wang Juesi, and Fu Shan all took a "Heart Sutra" from rice seeds, and this influence continues to this day.
In addition to his extremely high level of calligraphy, Mi Fu also has many calligraphy commentaries. He is the author of "Book History", "Haiyue Quotations", "Baozhang Waiting for Visits", "Comments on Calligraphy", etc. Showing his outstanding courage and sophisticated appreciation, he often ridiculed his predecessors, but he never followed the ancient sayings. He was valued by calligraphers of the past dynasties. However, he also went too far, criticizing Yan Liu and belittling Xu Su. Harsh and critical. Mi Fu's handed down ink writings mainly include "Tiaoxi Poetry Scroll", "Shu Su Tie", "Fangyuan An Ji", "Tianma Fu", etc., and there are especially many short pieces of Hanzha.
Mi Fu is good at ink landscapes and is known as "Mi's Cloud Mountain", but Mi Fu's paintings do not exist in the world. But the only thing that can be seen so far is hardly a "rice painting" in the true sense - "Coral Pen Stand", which depicts a coral pen stand with the word "Golden Sitting" written on the left. Then add the rice dots and the inscription, and the Mi family landscape will emerge. Mi Fu uses painting as a substitute for writing, which is quite interesting.