Mi Fu (1051-1107), formerly known as Huang, later renamed Fu, the character Yuan Zhang, self-signed name Mi or Mi, ancestral home Taiyuan, later moved to Xiangyang, Hubei, and then lived in Runzhou (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu). He is known as the outer history of Haiyue, and is also known as the descendant of the bears and the descendants of Huozheng. Mi Fu is one of the calligraphers, painters, and painting theorists in the Northern Song Dynasty, and Cai Xiang, Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and called the "Song Four". He used to be a school secretary, a doctor of calligraphy and painting, and a member of the Ministry of Rites.
Mi Fu has outstanding achievements in the field of calligraphy and painting, he is known for his unique characteristics of dead wood, bamboo and stone, and landscape painting. In terms of calligraphy, he is good at seals, subordinates, Kai, lines, grass and other calligraphy, and is good at copying the calligraphy works of the ancients, and his copying has reached a very high level, known as chaotic truth. His main works include "Zhang Jiming's Post", "Li Taishi's Post", "Zijin Research Post", "Light Ink Autumn Mountain Poems" and so on.
Mi Fu's book "Shu Su Ti", also known as "Quasi-Ancient Poetry", was praised by later generations as the eighth line of the world, known as the first beautiful post in China.
In addition to calligraphy, Mi Fu is also an outstanding poet, good at poetry creation, good at appreciation, but also proficient in calligraphy and painting. His calligraphy inherited Wang Xizhi's brushwork, especially good at line and cursive, and Cai Xiang, Su Shi, and Huang Tingjian were known as the "Four Song Families". In terms of painting, he learned Dong Yuan's painting method, but he also has his own innovation, likes to dye with ink dots, pays attention to artistic conception rather than meticulous workmanship, so he is called "Mi's Cloud Mountain" by the world.
Mi Fu loves to collect gold and stone antiquities, especially like strange stones. His works include "Baojin Yingguang Collection", "History of Painting", "History of Calligraphy", "Baojin Waiting for Interviews" and so on.
Mi Fu has devoted his life to calligraphy, especially the most outstanding achievements in calligraphy. Since the Southern Song Dynasty, many famous Hui Ti have been engraved with his Dharma books, and its influence is so extensive and far-reaching that it can be said to be the first among the four major calligraphers of the Northern Song Dynasty. His calligraphy pursues interest and individuality, and is considered a model of artistic conception and individuality.
Mi Fu's success in calligraphy stems from extensive study and in-depth study of the calligraphy of the ancients. He called himself a "collection of ancient characters" and was deeply influenced by Tang Dynasty calligraphers such as Yan Zhenqing, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, Shen Chuanshi, and Duan Jizhan. Later, he began to look for the Jin people's fateh, and was influenced by Wang Xianzhi's "Mid-Autumn Festival". However, Mi Fu is not satisfied with Wang Xianzhi's font, he constantly pursues his own calligraphy style.
Although Mi Fu's calligraphy style is changeable, after he was fifty years old, he finally established his own unique calligraphy style. His calligraphy works are magnificent, especially good at calligraphy, and are known as the first. However, his calligraphy also has its flaws, he pursues too much "potential" and sometimes does not seem delicate enough.
In terms of painting, Mi Fu's achievements are also very prominent. He is especially good at painting landscapes, but he does not like to depict the towering and steep landscapes of the north, and prefers to depict the "smoke and clouds and fog scenes" of the water towns in the south of the Yangtze River, and pursues the expression of nature. His painting style is simple and natural, giving people a bland and unpretentious feeling.
Overall, Mi Fu was a versatile literati, and his calligraphy and painting achievements occupy an important place in the history of Chinese culture and have had a profound impact on future generations.