news

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

Cao Pi's "Classic Theory·On Essays" says: "Literati look down on each other, and this has been the case since ancient times." This contempt comes from disputes caused by different interests in art and aesthetics, and also from the trend of artists being proud of their talents and looking down on the world. This kind of contempt is also quite popular in the calligraphy circle, especially among top calligraphers, no one thinks that their calligraphy is inferior to others. Sun Guoting's "Book of Calligraphy" records such a story: An once asked Jing: "How is your calligraphy compared to Youjun?" The answer is: "So it should be better." It is about Xie An asking Wang Xianzhi: "How do you feel that your calligraphy compares to your father's?" Xianzhi replied: "Of course it is better than his." There are many similar evaluation stories between other calligraphers. Zhao Mengfu and Xianyu Shu, both leading calligraphers, admired each other and influenced each other, creating a good story in the calligraphy world.

Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy works

Although both Xianyu Shu and Deng Wenyuan were among the three great masters of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Mengfu was much more influential at the time and more famous in later generations. Xianyu Shu, the oldest, had the most difficult life. Xianyu Shu, whose courtesy name was Boji, nicknamed Kunxue Shanmin and Jizhi Laoren, was born in Bianliang. Although he was talented, he did not achieve much in his official career. He only worked as a minor official such as Xuanweisi. He was upright and refused to flatter or curry favor with others. Dai Biaoyuan, a poet of the Yuan Dynasty, recorded a story about Xianyu Shu's career: "He was full of vigor and ambition. He would write every morning and continue to argue with him in the long court. If he disagreed with him, he would feel proud and want to leave." It is good to be talented, but with such a personality and emotional intelligence, it is almost impossible for him to move from the bottom to the court and to display his talents in a high position in the officialdom of feudal society. His upright character was in tune with Zhao Mengfu, and they became sworn brothers. Needless to say, Zhao Mengfu was the leader of the Yuan Dynasty calligraphy world and the standard-bearer of the Yuan Dynasty's retro calligraphy style. His calligraphy inherited the tradition of the two Wangs, surpassed the various masters of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, stood side by side with the sages of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and reached the style of the Wei and Jin Dynasties. In Xianyu Shu's eyes, Zhao Mengfu was "simple and distant, like a fairy."

Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy works

The friendship between Zhao Mengfu and Xianyu Shu can be seen from Zhao Mengfu's "Lament for Xianyu Boji":

We may meet again in life, but we will never be apart in death. It has been five years since your death, but the pain is still there every day.

I was born in the south of the Yangtze River, and you grew up in the north of the Huai River. I remember hearing your name yesterday, when we first met in the government residence.

We are more than twenty years old, and your hair is as black as lacquer. We are in perfect harmony and have no secrets. We feel like we have known each other for a long time since we first met.

In spring, I always take a boat for an outing, and at night, I always sit down to a short meal. His spirit is as loud as a bell, and his anger makes his beard tremble.

The conversations are mixed with shouts and whistles, and the arguments are meticulous. The majestic Shang tripods are made, and the horses are galloping in the Han Dynasty.

The brocade bag holds the jade scroll, which is more exquisite than the works of the Jin and Tang dynasties.

It is so dazzling that all who see it are in awe. If you were not a discerning person, who would be able to collect such rare things?

Finally, I got a jade hook, carved with a dragon coil. I shook hands and passed it around, and was delighted to see its color.

Studying ancient books carefully, the water in the pond is almost black. When the bookkeepers exchanged ideas, each of them gained something.

I learned the Zhong method at that time and wrote the stone on your ancestors' tomb. You are happy in the south of the Yangtze River, but the land is bitter and humid.

How could one know that he would eventually serve in his regular post after working for a shirt? Even now, I cannot bear to see the ink left on the screen.

The road is desolate and dreary, and the house is shaded by pine and bamboo. The world is short of pure air, and people are rarely seen in the world.

The scarlet robe is like a portrait, and tears flow down my chest. How vast is the universe, and how can sadness and sorrow be the ultimate?

Calligraphy works by Xian Yushu

The poem of 260 characters tells the story of how the two met and got to know each other. They enjoyed the common pleasures of appreciating rare articles and analyzing doubts, as well as the common artistic interest of pursuing a retro style of calligraphy. The convergence of aesthetics alone could not support the friendship between the two people for a lifetime. At most, it was just admiration and pursuit. Zhao Mengfu and Xian Yushu also praised and admired each other in terms of artistic level. That's why the tombstone of Xian Yushu's father Xian Yuguangzu was written by Zhao Mengfu. The ancients had a sacred and serious attitude towards writing tombstones. The host must ask people with outstanding calligraphy skills and high moral character to write. Xian Yushu himself was a first-class calligrapher, but he asked Zhao Mengfu to write his father's epitaph, which shows his admiration for Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy level. The "Xian Yuguangzu Epitaph" currently preserved in the Shanghai Museum is an early calligraphy work of Zhao Mengfu and an important historical material for studying Xian Yushu.

Calligraphy works by Xian Yushu

Zhao Mengfu's friendship with Xianyu Shu was probably enough to make Zhao's wife Guan Daosheng jealous. Zhao Mengfu wrote in "Ciyun Duanfu and Xianyu Boji's Poems" that "A hundred years of worry make me worry about a thousand years, and a day of longing is like a few autumns." Zhao Mengfu also praised Xianyu Shu in calligraphy, saying, "I studied cursive writing with Boji, and Boji was far better than me. I tried my best to catch up but couldn't catch up. Boji is gone, and the world praises me for my calligraphy. It is said that there is no Buddha who can be respected." "The calligraphy of hard study is wonderful and divine, which I cannot reach." He believed that his calligraphy was far inferior to Xianyu Shu. Although there was a sense of humility, it can also be seen that Zhao Mengfu admired Xianyu Shu's calligraphy level.

Zhao Mengfu and Xian Yushu jointly wrote the Thousand Character Classic in cursive script

Regarding the question of calligraphy restoration, Zhao Mengfu and Xian Yushu have the same position. They both admire the calligraphy of Jin people, and both regard Wang Xizhi as the best. Zhao Mengfu wrote in the title of "Sleeping and Eating Post": This post is strange, ancient, strong, and spirited. Xian Yushu also wrote in the title of "Sleeping and Eating Post": Youjun said: My calligraphy is compared with Zhong and Zhang. Zhong should be able to resist the wind, or even surpass it. Zhang's cursive is like geese flying in a line. From this, we know that Youjun's words are indeed too modest. As for the rest, Ziang's calligraphy is complete, and there is no need to repeat the verses. In terms of penmanship, Zhao Mengfu advocated "the use of pen has not changed for thousands of years", and Xian Yushu's penmanship was called "Bo Ji's writing, every stroke has the ancient method, which is the most precious." In calligraphy practice, Xian Yushu's "Yushi Jinjuan" presents a strong Zhao style of calligraphy from word formation to penmanship. Zhao Mengfu and Xian Yushu once wrote the Thousand Characters in cursive script together. Xian Yushu stopped at "多士实宁" (A lot of people are willing to be peaceful) and Zhao Mengfu continued to write, making the whole scroll natural. The mutual influence has penetrated into the soul, and different pens have brought out the same splendor.

Zhao Mengfu and Xian Yushu jointly wrote the Thousand Character Classic in cursive script

The friendship between the two was slandered by the bored people in later generations. It was even written in the biography of Xian Yushu in the New History of Yuan Dynasty compiled by the Republic of China: Some people said that Mengfu was jealous of his book because he bought it at a high price and destroyed it, so not many of his works have been handed down. The editors did not dare to make a conclusion, so they added the words "or". After experiencing various wars and disasters in history, it is rare for calligraphy and painting works to be preserved. Counting the inscriptions and other ink marks, Xian Yushu has more than 50 works handed down to this day, which is not a small number. Such rumors cannot cover up the historical truth, nor can they slander the great friendship between Zhao Mengfu and Xian Yushu. Learning alone without friends will make you ignorant and uninformed. Friends who are willing to learn calligraphy have good friends and close friends to accompany them on the road of learning calligraphy.

Zhao Mengfu and Xian Yushu jointly wrote the Thousand Character Classic in cursive script

World Art Selection