Among the treasures of the town hall of the Shanghai Museum, there is a calligraphy work, written by Wang Anshi, the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, and after more than a thousand years, the strokes of the dragon flying phoenix dance are still amazing.
Wang Anshi (王安石), courtesy name Jiefu (字介甫), Banshan (端山), was a native of Linchuan(present-day Jiangxi) in Fuzhou, and was famous throughout the ages for presiding over the transformation of law and literary achievements. Less well known is that he is also good at calligraphy. Su Dongpo once called his calligraphy "impossible, but unlearnable." Mi Fu said that he learned Yang Ning's style, and Huang Gu said, "Doctor Bereshi, only Jing Gong has an ancient temperament, but he is not correct, but the pen is very sloppy."
Wang Anshi's "Outline of the Strict Scriptures of xingshu" volume 29.9×119cm Collection of Shanghai Museum
This national treasure is called the Shulen Yanjing Essentials Scroll, and it was written the year before Wang Anshi's death. Wang Anshi rose and fell twice, and in his later years he lived in Jinling Zhongshan and led his disciples to write books and say. In his later years, he was already discouraged, but he was only intoxicated with Buddhism, and the copying of this sutra was only to seek spiritual peace. He hid this work in the Baoning Temple and did not publicize it.
Wang Anshi Xingshu "The Purpose of the Lengyan Sutra"
Each word in the "Instructions for the Sutra of Tranquility" is only like a fingertip. The font is close to the letter and slightly with the stroke of the line, the ink color is light and elegant, the dot painting is clear, and the layout of the whole article has the trend of "horizontal wind and rain", although the line is very close, there are few blank places, but there is no sense of chaos. If you carefully taste the author's pen, it seems as if it is casual, and the leisurely charm is exposed in the front, from which it can be seen that after Wang Anshi's resignation, his life was in a comfortable and comfortable state, and he achieved the reputation of a generation of famous calligraphers in leisure.
Huang Tingjian copied Wang Anshi's calligraphy to the extent of chaos; he claimed to have gained it from Wang Anshi; Wang Anshi obtained the true meaning of Yan Zhenqing, but he did not intend to obtain it, and his talent was so that from Li Zhiyi's comments, we can understand Huang Tingjian's appreciation of Wang Anshi's calligraphy.
Cai Shangxiang's quotation of Zhang Jingfu's point of view seems to be a footnote to Huang Tingjian's point of view: "If Wang Cheng Xiang's book is not inadvertent at the beginning, if you look closely at it, it is a good place for people in the Jin and Song dynasties to use pens. "Yu Xizang King Xiang Xiang calligraphy and painting, Xiang Xiang in the world, more chiseled with their own will, taking care of the calligraphy and painting alone can do what they do." In his later years, he wrote in particular." "Jing Gong did what he wanted, and did not seek work, but Xiao Sanjian, like a high-ranking man, was dressed in rags, walking between high cars and horses, and his eyes were already concerned about the back of the ox."
Seemingly spontaneous, but in fact superior, because of its assertive behavior, its calligraphy also reveals a unique personality, which cannot be simulated.
Wang Anshi presided over the change of law, not only did there be too many people who offended in the current dynasty, but every time there was a dispute between changing the law and the old ways, it became a tool of factional struggle, such as during Zhang Juzheng's change of law, suddenly many literati criticized Wang Anshi and used the ancient irony to ridicule the present. The ancients have always believed that words are like their people, and they used their fonts to evaluate them as impatient, extremely slanderous words, which made people sigh.
After the crazy suppression of the conservative diehards of the past dynasties, Wang Anshi's heirloom works have left very little. At present, there are only 2 recognized pieces, one of which is the "Outline of the Lengyan Sutra". Judging from this work, it is indeed as hasty and careless as an urgent chapter, and it can be seen that Wang Anshi's writing speed is extremely fast. However, from an aesthetic point of view, it breaks through the conservative concept of thought and has a unique personality that wins with "intention". His elegant style in calligraphy is unique, which is undoubtedly a new wind in the stability of Song Dynasty calligraphy.
Su Dongpo, the head of the "Four Houses of The Song Dynasty", once praised Wang Anshi's calligraphy in this way:
Jing Gong did it with his own will, and did not seek work, while Xiao Sanjian, like a high-ranking man, was dressed in rags, walking between high cars and horses, and his eyes were already concerned about the back of the ox.
This is also enough to prove that the exquisite art of Wang Anshi's calligraphy is also enough to prove that the "Lengyan Jing Zhi Zhi Volume" is a well-deserved national treasure.