Yu Ji was a famous scholar of the Song and Yuan dynasties, and there is the "Ancient Records of Daoyuan Studies" passed down. His calligraphy is also known as everyone, he once worked with Zhao Mengfu in the Hanlin Academy, Zhao Mengfu is his superior, calligraphy is naturally influenced by Zhao Mengfu, looking at his works, deeply inspired by the Jin people, the clear and clear atmosphere does not reduce the Zhao family. Tao Zongyi said in the "Book History Meeting" that he "has a law for true grass seals." Gu Li is the first in the contemporary era. Li Dongyang, a calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, said: "The flow of calligraphers, the so-called people with high character and the ancient teachers, have both bosheng and death." "The handwriting is mainly left in the appreciation of inscriptions, and the heirloom works also include the ink copy of the "Liu Yao Shinto Inscription" (collected by the Shanghai Museum) as a large-character real book, which can be seen in the calligraphy of Zhong Xuan and Su Shi, who once sealed the two sides of the KuizhangGe Seal "Kuizhangge Treasure" and "Heavenly Calendar Treasure", which shows that his seal book was also outstanding at that time. Although he was an important calligrapher at that time, there were not many works circulated and the style was not very distinct.
The title of Yu Jili's book is important
He is not only proficient in calligraphy, but also in his treatise on books, and his views on books are scattered in various epigrams. Regarding the aesthetic nature of calligraphy art, Yu Ji did not have a book as a heart painting, a book such as its person; However, for some bookmakers, it can also be said that he is also a book-for-heart painter. For example, the "Ink Stain of the Yellow Valley" pointed out that "Mr. Valley's filial piety is pure, and he often sees it in ink". "Filial piety and pure to the extreme" is Huang Tingjian's moral character. The Book of The Book of The Obscure Nunnery and Cai Ji tong also says: "The righteousness of this post at any time in the source is very affectionate, and it is conceivable." Gai Chengde gentleman, created the next time, no one who has nothing to recruit is like this. "A gentleman of virtue" is a man of high moral righteousness and an extraordinary chest." The "creation" of the times is "nothing that cannot be recruited", indicating that this kind of "virtuous gentleman" book, whether it is intentional or not, can become an image manifestation of his spiritual world.
When talking about the phenomenon of "easy seals for subordination" in the development of the book style, Yu Ji linked it to the characteristics of human behavior and made such an insightful remark:
"The easy seal of the book is to be simple, but a gentleman must have a law in doing things." Ingenious and ingenious, it is famous. The square circle is straight, there is no excuse, and the calm and moderate, self-respecting. For example, crowning jade, adhering to the practice, doing things to the gods, respecting in the middle, prestige seeing outside, worshiping and ascending, naturally becoming a text, then its goodness is also good. It is quite evil and opposite, angry and charming, the attitude of a villain and a woman, and the scholar abstains from it. (Peiwen Calligraphy and Painting, Vol. VII)
His books have the rhyme of the Song people and the demeanor of the Jin people
The meaning of the gentleman's "exquisite thinking" involves the emergence of calligraphy art, which means that the development of the seal book into the Lishu was originally the result of people's pursuit of simplicity and ease, but the gentleman did not blindly simplify his work but to follow certain laws and laws, so he carefully processed the Lishu and made it an art form that can be famous. It can be seen that Yu Ji believes that the emergence of calligraphy art is rooted in people's "there must be a method of doing things", that is, the "exquisite creation" of calligraphy art. The "law" of "exquisite thinking" mentioned by Yu Ji here is the law of beauty that makes calligraphy artistic. The analogy of "respect on the inside, prestige and beauty on the outside" and the contempt for "angry and charming, the attitude of a villain and a woman" show that Yu Ji's aesthetic taste is also advocating that kind of dignified and thick beauty, while despising the kind of crazy and angry and gorgeous beauty, among which there is a tendency to advocate neutralization and Confucianism.
On the issue of the relationship between talent and kung fu, Yu Ji's view is to attach importance to both talent and skill, and believes that both are indispensable:
"Calligraphy is very difficult to get talent, to get from learning. Talented and learned, there are no unsophisticated and deified people. (Peiwen Calligraphy and Paintings, vol. 79)
The "very difficult to get both" in both aspects shows that it is not easy to have both talent and learning. Only in this way, there are only a few real book giants since ancient times and today, and Zhao Mengfu is such a benchmark, the so-called "Zhao Songxue Book, the pen is both fluent and profound", "can be described as the book's both academic strength, talent, and mysterious deification and unattainable" ("Ancient Records of Daoyuan Studies").
The beauty of neutralization is not without fun
The reason why Yu Ji sincerely and fearfully fell in love with Zhao Mengfu was that he regarded the Book of Wei and Jin as an insurmountable peak of Chinese calligraphy; Thus, he believes that "the law of the right army is difficult to succeed to the Yong Zen master, the Yongxing Gong and then the Yongxing Gong" ("Title Zhu Hou Suo Linzhi Yong Qianwen"), and su Shi and Huang Tingjian are even more "the law of Wei and Jin is exhausted", so Zhao Mengpin is the one who let people see the law of Wei and Jin again.
On the issue of the relationship between artistic innovation and inheritance, Yu Ji, like Zhao Mengfu, is backward-looking and conservative. This is not only the view of Yu Ji, but also a general consensus of the Yuan people.