There are not many people in the calligraphy world who can constitute a "generation of masters", these people first had a profound influence on the history of calligraphy, calligraphy is a school of its own, and there are many famous disciples in the same period, and their reputation is extremely prominent before or after his death.
Today we introduce a person, his calligraphy circle of "a generation of masters", his words crown ancient and modern, known as "gods and immortals among men"!
He is Zhao Ziang.
Zhao Ziang is an all-rounder, on his comprehensive strength, not inferior to Wang Xizhi, his calligraphy has influenced future generations for more than 800 years! Zhao Ziang is a descendant of the royal family, he is a descendant of the Song Taizu Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Ziang was born in the late Southern Song Dynasty, at this time the Southern Song Dynasty has been in turmoil.
As a descendant of the royal family, Zhao Ziang did not have any superiority, and even his life was a bit sloppy, but he was a genius, he never forgot to read, his father was a big collector, he practiced a pair of good eyes at a very young age, and in middle age, Zhao Ziang and Ke Jiusi were known for their appreciation.
Legend has it that Zhao Ziang practiced calligraphy extremely diligently, and when he was 5 years old, he had already practiced Zhiyong's "True Grass Thousand Character Text" 500 times, and at the same time studied the calligraphy of Emperor Gaozong of Song, and his calligraphy in the early years was gentle and beautiful, which was influenced by the royal calligraphy style. After middle age, he was influenced by the nostalgic trend of Xianyu Shu, began to pursue Wei Jin in calligraphy, and was able to fully understand the "Two Kings" brushwork.
Zhao Ziang's understanding of the "Second King" is all-round, which benefits from his extraordinary enlightenment, and since then, his writing style has changed and is famous all over the world. Later, Kublai Khan, the ancestor of the Yuan Dynasty, recruited Jiangnan scribes, and Zhao Ziang was also among the candidates, so he became a "second minister", in fact, in today's concept, this kind of "second minister" idea is extremely narrow.
Zhao Ziang was the highest in hanlin yuan to undertake the will, and the official residence was a product, and the world was famous.
Zhao Ziang is one of the "Four Great Masters of Kaishu", along with Yan Zhenqing, Ouyang Qian, and Liu Gongquan, although he is famous for His Calligraphy, Zhao Ziang's greatest influence is his Xingkai.
Zhao Mengfu's "A Thousand Words of Xingshu"
Zhao Ziang's representative work of Pingxing Kai is his "Xingshu Thousand Character Text", as a calligrapher, if you copy this "Xingshu Thousand Character Text" a hundred times, you will definitely have a great success in calligraphy.
"A Thousand Characters" is a thousand ancient and strange texts, this article was written by zhou Xingsi, a great writer of the Liang Dynasty, and used 1,000 words throughout the text to make a comprehensive summary of Chinese culture. It contains the history of China, the way of doing things and moral cultivation of Chinese, as well as the revelation of the change of dynasties and the heroes of Chinese history, and is an all-encompassing classic article.
And this 1,000-word essay is written in four words and sentences, rhymes in rhyme, is catchy to read, and easy to memorize.
The significance of the "Thousand Character Text" to calligraphy is that these 1,000 words are different common words, and they are commonly used in calligraphy creation, and successive generations of calligraphers have taken the "Thousand Character Text" as a model for their own copying.
As a beginner, if you are proficient in copying Zhao Ziang's "Thousand Characters of Xingshu", you will have a thorough understanding of the pen used in Xingshu and Calligraphy, and the writing method of basic creative characters.
Moreover, Zhao Ziang's style of writing is particularly in line with the aesthetics of contemporary people, and retains the Wei and Jin brushwork, which is an excellent way for contemporary people to get close to Wei and Jin.
Zhao Ziang's "Thousand Characters of xingshu" is hidden in the Palace Museum in Beijing.