The calligraphy of the early Yuan Dynasty presented two faces, one was the continuation of the indulgent and unbridled production style at the end of the Southern Song Dynasty, and the other was the sub-stream of the northern Jin Dynasty's strange and dangerous drifting calligraphy. However, it was all the result of the Song people's "Shangyi" and contempt for ancient laws, so at that time, the books of "angry and weak veins" filled the book world.
Only when Zhao Mengxiang was filled in to restore the Jin and Tang Dynasties as the call, with the purpose of advocating rhyme and shangfa, and vigorously sweeping away the abuses of Song calligraphy, did the book world begin to have a new vitality. In this calligraphy reform movement of togu, Xian Yushu was an important and accomplished calligrapher. Xian Yu Shu ,字伯幾,号困學民,also known as Hulin Yin official, Yuyang (楊阳; present-day Jinji County) was a native of Yuyang (around present-day Jinji County). He was a great calligrapher of the Yuan Dynasty who was on a par with Zhao Mengshun, but there were few records of his life and events, not even a more detailed biography.
Regarding Xian Yushu's origins and experiences, according to the epitaph of XianYushu's father Xian Yuguangzu written by Zhou Li and Zhao Mengshu, his predecessor was a native of Dexing (present-day Xuanhua and Zhuolu, Hebei) in the early Jin Dynasty, "erudite Gongwen", and The Yuanren Wang Xu also saw the handwriting of his grandmother from Boji's hands. When my grandfather was 30 years old, the whole family fled south to Juyongguan, and his ancestor was "stolen and killed", when He was only 10 years old. Yue 18 years "north to Yuyang". If Xian Yushu was born in the fifth year of Emperor Baoyou of Song Lizong (1257), his father was 53 years old. According to the epitaph, it is rare to be a guangzu and a scholar and a martial artist, so as to fight unevenly, "At the end of the Jin Dynasty, there is a desire to martyr the country." When the Yuan army destroyed the Song and attacked Wuchang, it was also a petty officer transporting grain and grass.
This origin, experience and temperament all had a direct impact on his calligraphy style. Therefore, although Xian Yushu and Zhao Mengqian advocated retrospection to sweep away the abuses of the Song people's books, there was a big difference in attitude. Zhao Mengqian is mainly manifested in positive appeals, emphasizing the wei and jin of the shifa and the second king of the shifa, and through the achievements he has personally practiced, he has influenced and driven the change of the scholarly teacher.
A distinctive feature of Xianyu Shu's "retro" style of calligraphy is that he was deeply influenced by the Tang calligraphy style. As Wang Shizhen said in the "Ancient and Modern Law Book Garden" evaluation of Xianyu Shu calligraphy: "The pen is exquisite and beautiful, the horns are not exposed, and the Tang people's law is hidden." "The Tang Dynasty calligraphy was directly related to the Six Dynasties, so the wei and Jin penmanship could be directly inherited in the Tang Dynasty. Since the Yuan Dynasty has a history of a thousand years from the Jin Dynasty, in the circulation of calligraphy and theory of calligraphy, it is rare for Yu Shu to see and hear the things of the Tang people. The knowledge of "ancient" in the "retro" calligraphy thought of The Rare Hub comes from this
Judging from the classification of the book style, the Tang Fa had a deep influence on Xianyu Shu, which was most obviously reflected in his works. The law of the Tang Dynasty calligraphy is relatively easy to be accepted by posterity. Because, this kind of Tang style is relatively easy to learn, and it is all on paper, which is a very graphic thing in people's eyes. Xian Yushu knew this well, and he could try his best to find a balance between the Tang Dynasty's fa and his own personality. For example, the work "Ma Jiu Domain Transmission Ancient Mirror Song Book" shows both personal style and does not lose the tang law, with a bold pen and firm lines. The Zhao Bingwen Yushi Zhenkai Scroll is also a representative work of Dakai, which is more sparsely knotted, more imposing, and more lively than the previous work. But the ancient meaning of the ancient law contained in the pen still jumps on the paper.
One of the characteristics of the rare Book of The Book is that it is carried out in the middle of the line and the bone is pierced. In The works of The Book of Xianyushu clearly bear the wind bone of Tang Kai. For example, the words "rich", "name", "jiang" and so on in the "Su Shi Haitang Poetry Volume" are like this. Although it is a line book, it is still the process of moving the book between the lines. Wu Kuan also mentioned this in his comments on XianYushu, "Sleepy learning is mostly cursive, and its books come from the real line. Therefore, the pen is not scrupulous, and the dot painting is intentional, so that people can not get tired of looking at it. ”
Only when the writing foundation of the script is quite solid and the pen is skillful, will the "wind bone" of the letter often be revealed in the writing process of the book. Cursive works are the most accomplished calligraphy styles in Xianyu Shu, and his study of Huai Su has already been mentioned earlier, and here he compares the cursive works of Xian Yu Shu with the cursive works of Xian Yu Shu, "On Cursive Posts", and Huai Su's cursive works "Fish Eating Posts". In terms of overall style, the two works are extremely similar.
From the perspective of using the pen, both belong to the works that use the pen rigorously and abide by the ancient law; the knot body is relaxed and not crazy; from the perspective of the chapter, it is all integrated and completed in one go. It can be seen that Xian Yushu's study of Huaisu cursive is extremely in-depth and comprehensive. From the brushwork to the knot and the chapter, there is some understanding. Ming Mo Yunqing commented: "Xian Yu Taichang, Deng Wenyuan, Kang Lizishan, Yu Bosheng, Zheng Yuanyou, Zhang Boyu, Jie Yusi, Zhang Laiyi, Qian Kui Juyi Gao Liu. And the grass is bo ji gu jin, like the Tang people. "I'm afraid this is a more accurate evaluation of the rare cursive script." From the comparative analysis of the above works, this is also confirmed.
Zhao Mengfu is a leading figure who holds high the banner of "retro" thought, and he does not hesitate to praise Xian Yushu's calligraphy evaluation. In 1294, Zhao Mengfu used four pieces of paper to invite Xian Yu to make a big grass, and Xian Yu Shu Wu Zhi Two Crosses with it. Zhao Ti Baoyun: "The book of sleepy learning, wonderful into the divine product, the servant can not reach." This should not be a polite remark, but a heartfelt compliment. Judging from the rise and fall of the history of calligraphy, Xian Yushu's advocacy of "retro" ideas is no less significant than that of Zhao Mengfu.
In short, as a generation of calligraphers, his calligraphy began with Tang calligraphy and then traced back to the second king of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. He is solid in skill, good at hanging his wrists, likes to use wolves, and emphasizes bone strength. His large letters are majestic, rounded, and majestic without losing their rules. The body of the book is rigorous, full of strength, and elegant and natural. Cursive learning is pure and can be innovative, the penmanship is indulgent, and the courage is magnificent.