Song Dynasty

Cai Xiang

Cai xiang(1012-1067) styled himself Junmo. Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, Mifu and him are considered as the four most famous people in Song Dynasty. He had served as a minister of government.  He is an honest, straightforward and reliable person. Also he is knowledgeable, skilled in calligraphy, especially regular script and running script. His regular script is stately and his running script is graceful and charming. Su Dongpo (a famous calligrapher in Song Dynasty) said:"Cai Xiang is very talented, and he enriches his knowledge, then his hand accords to his mind, his skill in calligraphy is so various, so he deserves to be the superior calligrapher in Song Dynasty"

Cai Xiang's works include "Xieciyushushi Biao", "Wanan Bridge Stone Stele", "Taosheng Tie", "kaishuYanzhenqinggaoshentieba" and so on.

Taosheng Tie

 

"Taosheng Tie" by Cai Xiang

Taoshengtie is a cursive script letter, with a natural and unrestrained style and various changes, which grants him a style of Jin and Tang Dynasty. This word is the representative work of Cai Xiang among his cursive writings. It is now kept in the Palace Museum of Taibei.

 

Su Shi (1037-1101)

Su Shi (1037-1101) styled himself Zizhan and Dongpojushi, was born in Meishan Sichuan Province.  His father Su Xun, his younger brother Su Zhe and him were considered as "Three Su in Song Dynasty" for their distinguished achievements in poetry and literature.

His calligraphy was learned from Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi; he also learned from his contemporaries, such as Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Xu Hao and Yang Ningshi.

His calligraphy works were created based on his well comprehensive of calligraphy art. He did not simply and automatically copy the works of the past, but tried to enrich and develop the traditional writing skills in real practice.

Huang Tingjian divided Su Shi's calligraphy career into three periods, elegant in the early time, power in the middle period and composed in his later time. The posterities think highly of Su Shi's calligraphy. Huang Tingjian said in his literary composition "Shangu Ji" that "Sushi is the superior calligrapher in this Dynasty".

Su Shi's main works include "The Spring Scene of Dongting Lake Fu", "Zhongshansongliao Fu", "The Poem of Hanshi", "Zuiweng Pavilion Ji and so on.

The Poem of Hanshi in Huangzhou Tie 01

The Poem of Hanshi in Huangzhou Tie 02

 

"The Poem of Hanshi in Huangzhou Tie" by Su Shi

"The Poem of Hanshi in Huangzhou Tie" was written on paper, containing 25 lines and 129 words. It is the representative work of Su Shi's running calligraphy works, It's a cassation made at the third year after he was banished to Huangzhou. The poem and calligraphy shows the grief and lonely feeling of Su Shi. The calligraphy works rhythm is full of ups and downs, radiant and enthusiastic, with quick, powerful and smooth strokes as if it was accomplished at a dash.

"The Poem of Hanshi in Huangzhou Tie" has a great influence in calligraphy history, and is considered as the third running calligraphy work all over the world.  It is also the best of Su Shi's works. Huang Tingjian said behind this poem that "this work involves the styles of Yan Lugong, Yang Shaoshi and Li Xitai; it is excellent that Su Shi may not be able to write it so well in the second time."

 

Huang Tingjian

Huang Tingjian (1045-1105) styled himself Luzhi, Shangudaoren and Peiweng. He was born in Fenning, Hongzhou (now Xiushui, Jiangxi Province). He was called "Huang Shangu". He was a poet in Song Dynasty. He, together with Zhang Lei, Yao buzhi and Qin Guan were Su Shi's students, so people called them "Sumensixueshi" (four scholars of Su Shi).

He initiated the Jiangxi poetry genre. He was good at running script and cursive script. His running script was inspirited from Liu Gongquan's regular script works. The writing style is tight at center, relax at outskirt. His cursive script works have the styles of Zhang Xu and Huai Su, but also has the style of himself.

His cursive script contains a dangerous feeling in the structure of each character, and is full of creativity in organization. He uses to take advantage of the way of moving to break the boundary of single word with lines formed into new combination. There are rhythms that being full of dramatically changes as well. So the works have the special artistic charm.

His works include "The Epigraph of Wang Changzhe", "Fubo Shrine Volume", "The Poem of Songfeng Pavilion", "Li Bai's recalling to the old place Volume", "The Poem of Hanshi in Huangzhou Volume", "Seat of Honor Tie", " The Biography of Lianpo Minxiangru" and so on.

Zishu Songfeng Pavilion Volume 01

Zishu Songfeng Pavilion Volume 02

 

 

"Zishu Songfeng Pavilion Volume" by Huang Tingjian

In September, the first year of Chongning (1102), Huang Tingjian walked in the Mount Fan with his friends. They walked through a forest of pines where there was a pavilion. Huang Tingjian and his friends spent the night there, and he made a poem to praise the scenery they had enjoyed , and also to express the feeling of missing his friends .

This work has long waves and long falling-left strokes, and is full of ups and downs, with three turns at one stroke, just as woodman operates oar vigorously. No matter it is the ending stroke or the turn stroke, it is the technique of regular script, writing smoothly, changing implicitly, and making a special artistic charm.

When mentioned the death of Su Shi at the end of this work, the writer couldn't help to be agitated. So the power of each stroke changes into imposing vigor, and the ending strokes turns to be more italic, which conveys the deep friendship between Su Shi and him. This work is the typical writing which values the spirit most. It is now kept in the Palace Museum of Taibei, Taiwan.

Seat of Honor in Cursive Script Volume（局部）

 

"Seat of Honor in Cursive Script Volume" by Huang Tingjian

This volume was written by Huang Tingjian who copied "Wenyi Master's Words" for his friend, Li Rendao. It was one of the excellent cursive script works. This volume was written by Huang Tingjian in his late time. It is of the style of Huai Su's cursive script style, just like dragons and tigers fighting but still being graceful and excellent. The stroke seems to be stopped but also seems to be continued, and seems to expand broader. The ink combines the feature of dry and wet. This work is interesting, powerful and special. It seems to be the style of Buddha. Now it is kept in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

 

Mi Fu

Mi Fu (1051-1108) styled himself Yuanzhang, Xiangyangmanshi and Haiyuewaish. He was born in Shanxi Province, later moved to Xiangyang, Hubei Province. People used to call him"Mi Xiangyang". He was one of the "Four famous  calligraphers in Song Dynasty" (others were Su Shi, Huang Tingjian and Cai Xiang). 

Mi Fu was a calligrapher, painter, connoisseur and collector. He gains great achievements. He is skilled in calligraphy, especially running script. Su Dongpo thought highly of his skills in calligraphy, said:"his skills of zheng, cao, clerical script and seal script (four types of writing) look just like the sail in the big wind or the run horse in the war; that is to say, his style is calm and exciting." Furthermore, Mi Fu initiated the skill to paint landscape painting, which was called "Mi's Yunshan".  This skill is more suitable for describing the cloud -smoked scenery of Southern areas (like Jiangnan). People think highly of it.

His works includes "Baizhongyuemingzuo","<Shusu Tie", "The poem of Hong county Tie", "The poem of Saoxi Volumes ", "Yanshan Inscription", "Su Taijian's participation in Politics Tie", "The poem of Shabu Tie" and so on.

The poem of Saoxi Volumes 01

The poem of Saoxi Volumes 02

 

 

"The poem of Saoxi Volumes" (in ancient China books were written on long silk or papers and rolled up for storage; hence books were counted by rolls (volumes))

It was written on paper; it was in running script, with a width of 30.3 cm and a length of 189.5 cm.

It was written in the third year of Song Zhezong Yuanyou (1088 AD). At that time Mi Fu was 38 years old. He wrote this poem by himself. This volume contains six poems. Mi Fu used brush straightly when writing, so we could see that the stroke was thick and slender shaped. Also Mi Fu wrote in a fast speed, so we could see the stroke was free shaped. Especially in Yunfeng (a skill of using brush in the different angles), the stroke is full of various changes. The dots stroke and the transition are uninterrupted; ups and downs are natural, not over-embellished. The structure is comfortable that the center is a little tight. It keeps the balance.

This work is kept in the Palace Museum in Beijing.

Zhao Ji

Zhao Ji（1082－1135）, Emperor Huizong of Song Dynasty. He was the seventeenth son of Emperor Shenzong, Zhao Xu. Zao Ji, similar to Li Yu of South Tang Dynasty, did not have the capability of managing the whole country, but had special talent in arts, and he achieved a lot in art. He made great contributions to the development of the painting department and Yuanti style of painting. He deserved to be called "the emperor who did not love country but love art". His art achievement was most remarkable. He learned his writing from Xue Ji and Zhu Suiliang, therefore his writing is rather thin but full of power, with characters linking to each other, which makes his writing similar to a twisting thread, just like the running script. The finishing part of his writing is very delicate, vigorous and spread, with great conscientiousness and carefulness. Thus, his writing is also called "the golden thin style". The script in his work "A Thousand Characters in Cursive Script", filled with flying threaded characters and imposing vigor, was learned from Huai Su.

His works include "The Poem of Nongfang Tie", "The Poem of the Moon in autumn in Boudoir Tie", "Round Silk Fan in the Cursive Script", "The Cursive Script Qianziwen" and so on.

The Poem of the Moon in autumn in Boudoir Tie

 

 

"The Poem of the Moon in autumn in Boudoir Tie" ( a written copy of poems of the Mid-autumn Festival) by Zhao Ji

"The Poem of the Moon in autumn in Boudoir Tie" is a typical work of "shoujinti" (thin gold script). "shoujin" also has the meaning of "shoujin"(thin tendon). This is a seven-character "regulated" verse, with virile yet dainty style, tight yet elegant ending strokes, which not only reveals the artistic conception of the poem, but also a graceful and luxurious atmosphere. Every stroke is very light and elegant, just like hairsprings floating in the air. It belongs to be the soft and subtle style in the "shoujinti", with every character thin, straight, extended, and vigorous. Every turning point shows the implication of hidden stroke, exposed stroke and the writing methods of slide, turn, lift and pause. The stroke of horizon lines ends with a hook, and the vertical lines with a dot; the falling left stroke as a dagger, the falling right stroke as a knife; vertical hook is slender and reserved, the linking strokes like flying are absolute. These features have made the work very vivid. It is the representative work of Zhao Ji, the emperor Song Huizong of Song Dynasty.

It is now kept in the Palace Museum of Beijing.