Biography of Yan Liben
Yan Liben (601-673) was a native of Wannian County, Jingzhao Prefecture (now Xi'an, Shaanxi Province). A famous painter of the Tang Dynasty, he served as the prime minister.
The black yarn on the top of the head loves danqing
Yan Liben was born in a very prominent background, his ancestors held prominent positions in the Northern Wei Dynasty, and his maternal grandfather was Emperor Wu of the Northern Zhou Dynasty.
Yan Liben is versatile, loves painting, and is good at crafts and architecture. With his superior background and ability, he was appreciated by Li Shimin and became a close confidant of his attendants.
Once, Li Shimin heard that there were fierce beasts in Nanshan that hurt people, so he sent fierce generals to capture them, but all of them returned in vain. At this time, a general volunteered to fight, and finally killed the beast with an arrow.
Tang Taizong was overjoyed and ordered Yan Liben to draw down this feat. Although Yan Liben did not personally witness the scene, he seemed to have witnessed the process of hunting beasts. He drew a picture of the general riding a horse and shooting, lifelike, as if he was about to gallop out of the painting. Since then, Yan Liben's superb painting skills have been unanimously praised.
Yan Liben initially studied under the painter Zheng Fashi in the early Sui Dynasty, and later became a painter from the Southern Liang Dynasty, Zhang Shengxuan (yáo).
Once, Yan Liben traveled to Jingzhou and saw Zhang Sengqiu's posthumous paintings, and after carefully admiring them, he said disappointedly: "It seems that it is in vain!" ”
The next day, Yan Liben couldn't help but go to observe again, and couldn't help but say with emotion: "It is indeed a master of modern painting." ”
On the third day, he went to appreciate it again, and Yan Liben admired and said: "Under the fame, he is indeed a master." So for ten days in a row, I ate and lived next to the painting, and I was so addicted that I couldn't extricate myself.
Zhang Seng Miao once painted a picture of a drunken monk, and for many years, Taoist priests often used this painting to mock the monks.
In the Tang Gaozong period, the deeply humiliated monks pooled hundreds of thousands of dollars and asked Yan Liben to draw "Drunken Taoist Priest" to fight back, which instead prompted Yan Liben and Zhang Sengqiu, the two masters, to perform a "contest" across time and space.
Because he was good at painting, Yan Liben became a historical historian, recording important historical events with a brush, and truly reproducing the prosperity and glory of the Tang Dynasty. Yan Liben once painted the dignity of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty under the edict, and left a famous painting through the ages - "Emperors of the Past Dynasties".
The thirteen emperors he wrote not only conformed to the historical positioning, but also had distinct personalities and expressive images. For example, Liu Xiu, the founding emperor of the Later Han Dynasty, was full of majesty under Yan Liben's brush. Emperor Wen of Wei Cao Pi showed an invincible attitude, Emperor Wen of Sui Emperor Yang Jian secretly concealed scheming between his eyebrows, Emperor Xuan of Chen Chen Xuan (xū) revealed incompetence in his sloppy eyes, and so on. From the coloring to the lines, the whole scroll reflects the detachment of Yan Liben's painting and the pinnacle of brushwork, representing the highest level of figure painting in the early Tang Dynasty and occupying an important position in the history of mainland painting.
The painting that really made Yan Liben famous all over the world was the "Walking Diagram". At that time, the king of Tibet, Songtsen Gampo, because of his admiration for the Tang civilization, sent an envoy to Chang'an to ask for the Tang princess. What Yan Liben depicted in "Bu Yuan Tu" is the picture of the Tibetan envoy meeting Tang Taizong. The majestic and peaceful Tang Taizong, the respectful and humble envoy, all demonstrate the supreme status of the Tang Dynasty and witness the friendship between Han and Tibet.
Yan Liben only relied on "Emperors of the Past Dynasties" and "Bu Yuan Tu" to establish a respected position in the history of mainland art.
Later, Yan Liben was appointed as the right prime minister by Tang Gaozong, and the courtiers circulated the saying that "the right minister is famous in Danqing", which was intended to satirize Yan Liben's ability to paint but not to be able to assist him. In fact, Yan Liben is quite knowledgeable.
Once, Yan Liben went to the local government to assess the officials, and when he met a young soldier in the army, he said to him: "I am a painter, there are people who want to paint, and there are people who don't want to paint, and you are the person who I feel that I have to paint at the first sight." This soldier has a low status in the army, but has a quiet personality and resolute eyes, so Yan Liben said frankly: "There has never been a person who has been stared at by me without changing his expression." So he recommended him strongly. This soldier was Di Renjie, and later became a generation of famous ministers.
The Tang Dynasty produced many famous ministers, and Yan Liben was so good at Danqing that his political achievements were completely ignored, and he was also the prime minister with the most literary and artistic cells.
At the age of seventy-three, Yan Liben finally put down his paintbrush and finished his artistic life. His classic paintings have traversed the long river of history and are unfolding in front of future generations page by page, magnificently reproducing the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
Biography of Liu Gongquan
Liu Gongquan (778-865), whose name is Chenghang, was a native of Huayuan County, Jingzhao Prefecture (now Yaozhou District, Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province). A famous calligrapher and poet in the middle of the Tang Dynasty, he was known as the "Four Masters of Regular Script" together with Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing and Zhao Mengfu.
A calligrapher who is good at "pen advice".
Liu Gongquan was born in a family of eunuchs, and since he was a child, he loves to learn, reads diligently, and is gifted and intelligent, he can make resignations at the age of 12, and he is admitted to the Jinshi at the age of 31. For more than ten years after that, he served in the shogunate of Xia Sui Yinyou's envoy and painstakingly studied calligraphy.
At the beginning, Liu Gongquan learned Wang Xizhi's penmanship, and then all over the academic generation of calligraphy, while studying Ouyang Xun, Yan Zhenqing, and then into their own new ideas, and finally integrated, absorbing the strengths of others, self-contained, both Wei and Jin style, and absorbed the style of famous artists since the Sui and Tang dynasties, forming a unique "willow body", so the world is famous.
Tang Muzong had just ascended the throne, Liu Gongquan entered Beijing to perform affairs, Mu Zong heard his reputation for a long time, and said: "Since I have seen your calligraphy in the Buddhist temple, I have wanted to see you for a long time. So he promoted him to a Beijing official and accompanied him. At this time, Liu Gongquan was already forty-three years old.
After Tang Muzong ascended the throne, he lived an indulgent life, concentrating on banquets and ignoring the government. Mu Zong once asked Liu Gongquan how to write well, and Liu Gongquan replied: "The key to writing with a pen is in the heart, and only by having a good mind can you use the pen properly." When Mu Zong heard this, his face changed greatly, and he knew that Liu Gongquan was persuading him by talking about books and regulations.
Later, Muzong's son, Wenzong, ascended the throne. Wenzong also admired Liu Gongquan's talent, and the two monarchs and ministers often talked about the candles being burned out, and they were still unsatisfied. Even though Liu Gongquan was deeply favored by Wenzong, he always adhered to the true character of a minister and refused to flatter at all.
Once, Wenzong talked to his courtiers about Emperor Wen of Han, who was famous for his frugality in history, raised his sleeves and said proudly: "I have washed this dress three times, and I still wear it." When the ministers heard this, they praised Wenzong's frugal virtues, and Wenzong was full of joy when he heard it, but Liu Gongquan was silent.
After everyone retreated, Wenzong left Liu Gongquan and asked him why he didn't speak. Liu Gongquan said: "Your Majesty, as the emperor, should reuse talents, depose traitorous ministers, listen to advice and advice, and be rewarded and punished clearly." As for wearing washed clothes, they are just small sections and do not matter at all. ”
At that time, there was another minister beside Wenzong, who was trembling with fear when he heard Liu Gongquan's words, and Liu Gongquan said it rightly. Wenzong said: "These words can reflect your demeanor as a counselor, so appoint you as a counselor." ”
Later, in order to commend the deeds of a generation of eminent monks and masters, the imperial court decided to engrave a merit tablet in the capital Chang'an (now Xi'an), and the emperor ordered the prime minister to write the article and Liu Gongquan to write it. Because Master Dada's ashes are placed in the Mystery Tower, this inscription is simply called "The Mystery Tower Tablet".
It is a milestone in Liu Gongquan's calligraphy career, marking the complete maturity of "Liuti" calligraphy and becoming an authentic model for calligraphy learners in the past generations, which has had a profound impact on later generations. Liu Gongquan was sixty-four years old at the time.
Two years later, Tang Wuzong personally visited the military camp of Zuo Shence Army. Zuo Shence Army is one of the most elite troops of the Tang Dynasty emperor, has made a lot of military exploits for the country, the commander-in-chief of the army took the opportunity to play the monument to praise virtue, Wuzong agreed, and ordered Liu Gongquan to write, referred to as "Shence Army Monument".
Compared with the "Mysterious Tower Tablet" two years ago, the artistic style of "Shence Military Tablet" is more mature and stable, vigorous and refined, and has been praised by later generations as Liu Gongquan's "first wonderful product in his life".
After the "Shence Military Tablet" was engraved, it was collected in the palace, and later the original stone tablet was destroyed in the war, and only a very small number of rubbings were handed down. By the time of the Song Dynasty, even the rubbings had only the remnants of the lone copy, so they were cherished by all dynasties. Until 1965, under the direct care of Premier Zhou, it was purchased back by the state at a large expense, and it is now stored in the National Library in Beijing.
In Liu Gongquan's later years, his calligraphy attainments were already famous all over the world. At this time, the emperor was Tang Xuanzong, because he admired Liu Gongquan's calligraphy, Xuanzong summoned Liu Gongquan to the front of the palace, and wrote in three fonts: regular script, line script, and cursive script, and collected it as a treasure.
Since then, both at home and abroad have been honored to be able to get the ink treasure of Liu Gongquan. The minister's house erected a monument for the ancestors, if it was not for Liu Gongquan's words, people would think that the descendants were not filial. When foreigners entered the dynasty to pay tribute, they also had to prepare special funds to buy a piece of Liu Gongquan's character to bring back, which became the most powerful cultural export of the Tang Dynasty at that time.
Liu Gongquan died at the age of eighty-eight, and his long life went through nine emperors and seven dynasties. As an official, just like the words he writes, he is both stylish and meticulous.
This article is excerpted from "Twenty-four Histories Read Now, Language and History Are Progressing" - the ninth volume of "New Tang Dynasty Book", which is officially authorized to be released, welcome to continue to pay attention.