Dong Qichang is a famous calligraphy and painting master in the late Ming Dynasty, his calligraphy is taken from a number of predecessors, with the charm of the Wei and Jin dynasties, rooted in calligraphy orthodoxy and has a fresh and elegant temperament, it can be said that it is the culmination of the ancient law, and the style of calligraphy of the elegant generation of later generations, is a grandmaster-level calligrapher.
The authentic regular script of Dong Qichang and Chu Suiliang's "Treatise on Le Yi" that I saw has this characteristic.
Le Yi Treatise was originally an article written by Hou Xuan of Wei Xia during the Three Kingdoms period, which discussed the famous general Le Yi of Yan during the Warring States Period and his conquest of various countries, and was later written down by the great calligrapher Wang Xizhi in small letters, so the name is very loud. Wang Xizhi's "Treatise on Le Yi" has long since ceased to exist. Chu Suiliang, a famous calligrapher in the later Tang Dynasty, once copied Wang Xizhi's "Treatise on Le Yi", but the ink book has disappeared, and only the engraved copy remains.
Dong Qichang's authentic handwriting on paper, written in 1620, is a yellow and white Korean paper, 26 cm in length, 224 cm in width5 centimeters, about 400 years ago, can be described as extremely precious.
Dong Qichang's regular book "On Le Yi" is said to be a copy, but in fact it is intended to be a copy, and it has its own distinctive characteristics.
It can be seen that the structure of this regular script is rigorous and precise, with the strict law of Tang Kai, and on the basis of following strict rules, it also shows a sparse and generous, chic and elegant bearing.
In the use of the pen, meticulous, the pen force, the strength of the force sent to the milliend, the texture of the line is very real, the dot painting is exquisite, the roundness reveals the Zheng Zheng bone force, both hidden and exposed, the combination of square and circle, giving people a kind of compliance with the rules and flexibility, elegant and generous, fresh and beautiful temperament, the view is pleasing to the eye.
The whole calligraphy, with a very distinct personality, is different from the Jin and Tang Dynasty Kaishu simple and rigorous, and there is no random scribbled shortcomings, it can be said that there are muscles and bones, beads round and jade, in the rigor appears lively and natural, the rhyme is accessible, showing profound calligraphy skills and superb pen skills.
The vast majority of the works written by ancient calligraphy masters have long been annihilated, and only the engraved rubbings can be left to future generations, which has caused a certain obstacle for us to appreciate the charm of the original. And Dong Qichang's "Le Yi Theory" authentic work, delicate, vivid, so that we really feel the calligraphy master's brilliance, can be said to be priceless, but also a rare historical master level of the original work.