Wen Zhengming's "The Lord Lao's Saying on Constant Purification" and "Poem in Cursive Script"

Author: Xu Hongliu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Ming Xie Zhai in Wuzhazhu (Volume 7) praised Wen Zhengming's small regular script as follows: "Since the era of Master Wen Zhengzhong, he devoted himself entirely to structure, achieving a balanced density and proportion, with proper positioning—like the Eight-Faced Guanyin, complete in form and color." The evaluation is well-deserved. As for Xiang Mu's claim that "small regular script is merely elegant and neat," it is undoubtedly a prejudice. First, the style of Zhong You and Wang Xizhi should not be the sole aesthetic standard for small regular script. Second, Wen Zhengming's small regular script is far more than just "elegant and neat." It learns from the styles of the Jin and Tang dynasties without being confined by their appearances. Not only does it possess upright and vigorous strokes with a charming and elegant momentum, but it also exudes an expansive aura, something many famous small regular script works in history fail to achieve. In this sense, Wen Zhengming's small regular script has enriched Chinese calligraphy with a new aesthetic sensibility.