Among the contemporary Shanghainese calligraphers, Mr. Shen Yinmo is a well-deserved leader. We often say that a famous teacher makes a good apprentice, so is it also applicable to the art of calligraphy?In this article, we will focus on the calligraphy works of Hu Wensui, a student of Mr. Shen Yinmo.
As Mr. Shen Yinmo's **, Hu Wensui's calligraphy tradition is profound, and his works show a strong atmosphere, strong lines, and simple and atmospheric style. His line writing and large-character list writing are particularly eye-catching, and cursive writing is slightly inferior. In the seventies and eighties of the last century, many of the shop signs in Shanghai were created by Mr. Hu himself, and there were countless calligraphy and paintings hanging in the store, which fully demonstrated his influence and artistic attainments.
I believe that many calligraphy lovers have learned Xi Mr. Hu Wensui's calligraphy. As one of the famous calligraphers in Shanghai at that time, he and Ren Zheng, Liu Xiaoqing and others had a profound influence on the Shanghai calligraphy industry at that time. The calligraphy published by these calligraphers has had a profound impact on those who study Xi even across the country. As far as I know, there was another famous artist in the Shanghai book scene at that time, Wo Xinghua, but it seems to be slightly inferior in comparison.
However, there are also some calligraphy enthusiasts who believe that Hu Wensui's characters are just a continuation of the traditional rules of modern calligraphers. His regular script is acceptable, but cursive lacks a sense of agility and appears relatively bland. Compared with the characters of his teacher Shen Yinmo, the style of Hu characters is slightly similar and different. Shen Yinmo's characters appear lively and elegant, while Hu characters are more dignified and steady, especially in regular script, and the style is relatively conservative.
There are also some people who believe that Hu Wensui's calligraphy skills are indeed unquestionable, but he lacks enough charm and interest in the arrangement of chapters. Although he is Shen Yinmo's **, he lacks Shen Yinmo's ease of energy, nor does he have the gentleness and generosity of a typical literati, so he seems too calm and slightly lacking aura. In addition, there are those who believe that this handwriting is more due to the old hand tremor and the inevitable dry pen continuity, and lacks some vitality.
However, no matter what kind of evaluation he receives, it cannot hide the far-reaching influence of Mr. Hu Wensui on the world of books. For example, when the Hu Wensui Art Museum opened in the Gucheng Park in Shanghai's Huangpu District, Sun Xiaoyun, the chairman of the Calligraphy Association, and others attended and delivered speeches in person, which is enough to prove his important position in the field of calligraphy.