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Artist Bio:
Chen Qizhuang is a famous Scholar of Zhang Yuzhao, a calligrapher, collector and curator. President of China Zhang Yuzhao Calligraphy Research Association, Director of Jidong Calligraphy and Painting Art Museum, Visiting Professor of Tangshan Normal University, Member of Calligraphy Art Committee of China Yuelian Society.
Chen Qizhuang: On Zhang Yuzhao's "outer and inner circle" stele bone posture
Zhang Yuzhao (1823-1894), courtesy name Lianqing ( LianQing ) , was a famous calligrapher , scholar , writer , and educator of the late Qing Dynasty , a native of Wuchang ( now Ezhou ) in Hubei Province. One of the "Four Scholars of Zengmen", he has successively served as the chief (dean) of the six major academies of Wuchang Spoon Garden, Jinling Fengchi, Baoding Lotus Pond, Wuchang Jianghan and Jingxin, and Xiangyang Lumen For nearly 40 years, with 3,000 disciples and more than 100 famous scholars. In particular, the calligraphy style of "Thezi Chengya Rhyme, Stele Bone Opening" enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad and continues to this day.
The author has been committed to the study and special collection of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy for nearly thirty years, and a large number of collection materials have allowed the author to obtain first-hand information, and also provided true and credible direct evidence for the author's Zhang Yuzhao calligraphy research. Through the study of it, the author found that "in Zhang Yuzhao's school of calligraphy, the 'outer square and inner circle' is symbolized, technical, and procedural, which is obviously biased." Looking at the characteristics of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy, the most recognizable "outer and inner circle", although it is talked about by the public, however, simply from the technical level to interpret the "outer inner circle", it is both one-sided and lacks academic depth. The formation of Zhang Yuzhao's "outer and inner circle" initially had an occasional nature, but as he grew older, he was strengthened and sublimated, and the "outer inner circle" also evolved from a single technique into a concept of "stele bone and posture". Then, from the elements of brushwork, knotting, and chapters, the author discusses the concept of "stele bones and posture" of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy.
"Outer square inner circle" - the technique of turning out the hook
The penmanship is divided into the penmanship and the penmanship. As far as the penmanship is concerned, Zhang Yuzhao clearly discussed in the "Zhang Lianqing Poetry Manuscript": "The name finger is powerful, the finger can turn the pen, the paper is light, the ink is spicy, the hair is far, the front is dense, the Hidden Edge is deep, and the sharp edge is fierce." The emphasis on "the name finger is powerful, the finger can turn the pen", which can determine that Zhang Yuzhao's writing adopts the method of dialing lamps transmitted by the ancients. Zhang Yuzhao's eldest son Xun and second son Huan wrote in the "Lamentation Qi": "The Han people use pens, and they do not use the center, and their methods are purely used for partial fronts after the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty, and they have lost their purpose." First, he meditated for decades to achieve the true meaning of the Han and Wei people. The Northern Dynasty's Gao Hun and the Tang Dynasty's rectification became one. It can be seen that Zhang Yuzhao pays attention to the center line pen in terms of pen transportation, and realizes the "outer square and inner circle" technique of stroke turning and hooking through "finger can turn the pen". Qing Kang Youwei's book "Guangyi Zhou Shuangyi" has a discussion of Zhang Yuzhao's penmanship: "I get his book, judge its falling ink, transport the pen, the middle pen must be folded, the outer ink must be connected, the turning Ofton, with the square as the circle; the fall must be implicit, and the circle is the square." Therefore, it is a sharp pen and a solid retention, and a solid clean ink for the ink, which is a great enlightenment brushwork. In fact, this kind of "outer square and inner circle" technique was not found in Zhang Yuzhao's early works, but was gradually formed after turning to epigraphy and exploration. Among them, it is not only related to the background of the calligraphy culture of the Qing Dynasty's "Epigraphy Zhongxing", but also the cultural consciousness of Zhang Yuzhao as a scholar.
The social background of the Qing Dynasty"
The cultural background of calligraphy in the Qing Dynasty, accompanied by the decline of the thousands of people in the Study of Theology, began in the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods and reached its peak during the Tongzhi and Guangxu years. During this period, many accomplished epigraphers appeared. Zhang Yuzhao was born in the third year of Daoguang (1823) and died in the twenty years of Guangxu (1894), after going through the four dynasties of Daoguang, Xianfeng, Tongzhi and Guangxu, and was in the environment of "steleology in Zhongxing" all his life. As a devout scholar and calligrapher, after retiring from his career, he began to concentrate on education and the practice and exploration of epigraphy and calligraphy in middle age, and gradually became a representative figure of epigraphy who "collected monuments". In the era of "Epigraphy Zhongxing", a large number of stele stone carvings have been unearthed, and some inscriptions have been weathered and damaged for thousands of years, and the internal edges and corners of the stone carvings at the strokes are gradually worn out of the hook, and the square is turned into a circle, so the inscription stone strokes are turned out of the hook under the action of nature, and the phenomenon of "outer square and inner circle" is formed. Although this phenomenon is accidental, it shows the unique beauty of gold and stone, which makes people shine. In the famous works of the Northern Stele "Zhang Ronglong Stele", "Hanging Bi Ganwen" and the Sui Stele masterpiece "Longzang Temple Stele" and "Zhang Guinan's Epitaph", the phenomenon of "outer square and inner circle" can be found at the stroke turn and the hook. Zhang Yuzhao discovered this unique beauty in the study and practice of a large number of epigraphical calligraphy, which is exactly what the Theory does not have.
Zhang Yuzhao gradually strengthened the "outer square and inner circle" that appeared occasionally in this inscription and turned it into his own personality characteristics. Obviously, the "outer square and inner circle" of Zhang Yuzhao's brushwork is derived from the naturally formed and occasional phenomenon of stone carvings on the tablet.
Cultural self-consciousness of scholarly identity
In the Qing Dynasty, although Mr. Zhang Yuzhao was famous for his calligraphy, he was first and foremost a scholar. It is precisely because of the support of his scholarhood that Zhang Gong's understanding and cognition of traditional Chinese culture is deep and high. The study of the traditional Four Books and Five Classics and the influence of the dialectical ideas of Lao and Zhuang on the Chinese literati are deeply rooted, as evidenced by a large number of accounts in Zhang Yuzhao's "On the Codex of Learning".
Zhang Yuzhao's status as a scholar enhanced his cultural consciousness in the exploration of calligraphy and epigraphy. He uses the spirit of "taking the ancient as the new, seeking the new in the ancient" and decades of calligraphy practice of "attacking hardships", constantly drawing nourishment from traditional famous monuments, being good at choosing and casting, turning the accidental phenomenon of "outer square and inner circle" into a deliberate pursuit of the beauty of personality, and quickly turning it into his own calligraphy language. This style of calligraphy creation, even unprecedented, fully demonstrates the decisive role of Zhang Yuzhao's scholarly status in the formation of his own calligraphy style. Of course, at this time, Zhang Yuzhao's "outer inner circle" in terms of brushwork is only a technique, but the characteristics of "outer inner circle" are strengthened from the technical level.
"Outer square inner circle" - the knot body is square, and the gesture is rounded
The importance of the calligraphic knot in the elements of calligraphy is self-evident. The knot is the first overall impression of a piece of calligraphy, different from the detailed portrayal of the line. Successive generations of calligraphers have attached great importance to the exploration and practice of calligraphy. The return of Mr. Zhang Yuzhao in his later years is the return from the knot body, the return of the knot body to the Tang Kai, and the return of the Xingshu knot to the second king. The characteristics of "outer square and inner circle" with square knots and rounded strokes are formed. The author has a special article on this, see the theoretical part of the humble book "Stele Bone Thezi - Zhang Yuzhao Calligraphy Research".
The knot is square and flattened into a long one
Zhang Yuzhao worked hard in his early years, but he still belonged to the stage of learning. In his middle age, he turned to epigraphy and carried out a large number of epigraphical calligraphy practices, during which many excellent works were also handed down, but the mid-term works showed a diversity of calligraphy styles, and the knot body was mainly flat, which also belonged to the stage of exploration and change. In his later years, after becoming the head of Baoding Lotus Pond Academy, Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy underwent qualitative changes and entered a period of maturity, an important sign of which was the return of the thesis on the knot. We can see from many of Zhang Yuzhao's later works that the knot of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy obviously returned to Tang Kai, with Ou as the mainstay, and Xingshu returned to the Second King. This can be verified from Zhang Yuzhao's late European body calligraphy "Jiucheng Palace" and "Emperor Fu's Birthday". Shen Zengzhi, a late Qing dynasty calligrapher who was deeply influenced by Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy, also specifically mentioned that "Weng pushed Ou Kai deeply in his late years" is also another evidence. Taking Zhang Yuzhao's late years of calligraphy as an example, the knot body completely transformed the north stele flat square into the Tang Kai changfang. Perhaps Zhang Yuzhao realized that Tang Kai's rectangular formula can better reflect the sense of rectification of "foreign parties" and is more in line with the principles of human aesthetics. In this way, together with the center line of the pen, the stroke forms a situation of "square body and rounded gesture".
The method of sealing and the gestures are rounded
In Zhang Yuzhao's view, "using a pen in the center" is the true meaning of the ancient sage's pen, and after the Song Dynasty, he purely used the partial edge, so he almost did not take the works of the calligraphers after the Song Dynasty in terms of brushwork. He directly pursued the Han and Tang Dynasties and even the Qin Seal, and put forward the shanggu concept of "the ancients won with clumsiness, and the present people defeated with skill". However, the "center pen" was not created by Zhang Yuzhao, but Zhang Yuzhao's pen returned to the ancient law, and this ancient method is precisely the center pen used in the Qin and Han Seal Period. In Zhang Yuzhao's works, especially in his later works, we can find a large number of seal strokes corresponding to the knot body square. In order to strengthen the "round stroke", Zhang Yuzhao highlighted the hidden collection of strokes, and even focused on the round and rounded collection, and the tip of the stroke took "so it is left for the sharp pen", and wrote the gold stone welding effect at the intersection between the stroke and the stroke to show the roundness of the gesture. When we examine this rounded line in the square knot, the outer square of the knot and the rounded inner circle of the gesture undoubtedly push the "outer inner circle" to a higher realm.
"Outer square inner circle" - the origin of the concept of calligraphy
As the most important calligraphy element in Chinese calligraphy, calligraphy chapter method is also the most emblematic of a calligrapher's personality characteristics and style. The content of calligraphy is also very rich, and the chapter format of couplets, middle halls, banners, fans, and strip screens belongs to the category of chapters as figurative content; more abstract content such as "qi, potential, god, and rhyme" that cannot be seen or touched, but can be felt, also belongs to the category of chapter law. In particular, the "qi" in the calligraphy chapter plays a role in controlling the overall situation in calligraphy. Although the recognition of the calligraphy works of each famous calligrapher is determined by its knot and stroke, its unique atmosphere determines the height and content of its calligraphy style. It is the perfect practice of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy in his later years that finally moves towards the road of the integration of stele and post, at first glance, the ancient Hou Fangjun stele is extremely strong; the next glance, but does not lose the gentle and mellow posture and charm of the thesis. This is precisely where Zhang Yuzhao's understanding of calligraphy is different from ordinary people. Whether it is the North Monument or the South Thesis, they are two important forms of Chinese calligraphy, the two are two sides of a coin, inseparable, do not have to be either or, which is in line with the yin and yang of Lao Zhuang's thought, the dialectical idea of the unity of heaven and man.
After Zhang Yuzhao was 60 years old, calligraphy entered a mature period, and the core symbol of the maturity period was the "stele bone posture" as a sublimation of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy concept of "outer square and inner circle", which was more high and more intelligent in life, and had risen to the height of "Tao" to show. The author believes that the successful practice of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy "stele bone thesis" was completed from two aspects: strengthening the atmosphere of epigraphy and returning to the theology in his later years.
Epigraphy highlights the appearance of toughness and ancient clumsiness
Throughout his life, Zhang Yuzhao followed the principle of "taking the ancient as the new and seeking the new in the ancient" to carry out calligraphy practice, especially after the peak of the famous mountain career in his later years, he still insisted on writing a large number of traditional famous inscriptions. As an active advocate and practitioner of epigraphy, Zhang Yuzhao chose to strengthen the characteristics of epigraphy in his later years in terms of brushwork and calligraphy. In terms of brushwork, the tempering of calligraphy lines has become more and more rigid, the hardness has been unprecedentedly strengthened without losing elasticity, and the ancient and spicy high-purity lines show a strong golden stone atmosphere of the Stone Carvings of the North Monument, which is strongly reflected in many calligraphy works in Zhang Yuzhao's later years, such as "Du Fu's Poetry Album" and "Sword Praise" and other works. In particular, Zhang Yuzhao not only emphasizes the golden stone atmosphere at the junction of strokes and strokes, but also adopts the "ink increase method" to express the beauty of the ancient inscriptions that have been damaged and mottled by thousands of years, and also increases the relationship between points, lines and faces in calligraphy works, enriching his calligraphy expression and unique beauty. Regarding the practical application of the "ink increase method", Zhang Yuzhao's Japanese disciple Miyajima Yongshi clearly recorded in his memoirs: Zhang Yuzhao used a brush to dip the ink for many days, and then dipped the tip of the pen in clear water to write. In this way, it can not only reflect the golden stone atmosphere of the stone stele weathering and peeling through the water halo, but also can not lose the shape of the stroke, so it is "ink and clean". This has also become another evidence of the characteristics of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy in his later years to strengthen the epigraphy. When we actually look at those ancient inscriptions, when we see peeling damage, we often imagine what words are missing? What does the missing part of the calligraphy look like? Zhang Yuzhao's clever use of this ink-raising method undoubtedly brings the viewer a sense of space and picture outside the work, and then produces a sense of story, which is precisely the most difficult place for calligraphy as an abstract art to express.
Thessalonry returns to the "Two Kings" complex
In his later years, Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy not only strengthened the characteristics of epigraphy in terms of brushwork, but also dialectically and intelligently chose to return to the thesis in structure, and also accumulated a strong erwang complex. On the one hand, the knot of the book returns to Tang Kai, and on the other hand, the knot of the book returns to the second king. Through a large number of studies, the author found that this structural regression of theology is not an accidental phenomenon, with obvious initiative and pioneering. This point has been discussed in a special article by the author, and will not be expanded. As the representative figures of Thesis, the father and son of the Second King were cleverly borrowed by Zhang Yuzhao to write the structure of his book and turned it into an existing one. It can be clearly seen that In his later years, Zhang Yuzhao adopted a "double strong" attitude towards the contradiction between the stele and the thesis. Just as in martial arts, "quiet as a virgin, moving like a rabbit", the two poles of contradiction are extremely difficult to deal with. But everything must be precious and difficult, Zhang Yuzhao knew the difficulties, not only embarked on the road of integration of stele and post, but also took the exploration of stele and post directly to the two poles, which is the highest state of the beauty of "neutralization". The choice of epigraphical atmosphere is strengthened to the extreme, and at the same time, the return of the knot body of the thesis is also strengthened to the extreme, but from different angles to become one, so that the aesthetic content of Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy can be exerted to the extreme, making people unforgettable and love at first sight. Zhang Yuzhao's works of the World Travels, especially the Two Kings complex in the "On the Codex of Learning", can be seen!
Chinese calligraphy is a distillation of traditional culture, and Lao Tzu's "Taoist Nature" and Zhuangzi's "Unity of Heaven and Man" ideas have a profound influence on calligraphy. Mr. Zhang Yuzhao should have realized the relationship between the stele and the thesis. The ancient clumsiness of the stele can make up for the charm and weakness of the thesis; the warmth of the post can also go to the stele to learn rigidity and rigidity. The strong and ancient stele learning bone qi is "outer square", the gentle and elegant thesis is "inner circle", and the characteristics of "stele bone posture" formed between the integration of stele and post have truly become the core content and highest realm of Zhang Yuzhao's "outer and inner circle" calligraphy concept.
Ancients Cloud: Two advances in technology. Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy concept of "outer square and inner circle" has experienced the exploration of penmanship techniques in the early years, the practice of epigraphy and enlightenment in middle age, and the sublimation of calligraphy concepts in his later years. In his later years, Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy reached the state of "the unity of heaven and man, and the old age of people's books", and created the style of "outer and inner circles, stele and bone posture". Because of this, Zhang Yuzhao's calligraphy is enough to open up a sect and become a generation of masters, so that future generations of scholars will admire!
(Text/Chen Qizhuang)
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The article was transferred from the People's Daily all-media platform