Calligraphy Collection of Li Yong

Author: Li Songchen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-11-01
Features: Li Yong (678-747), styled Taihe, was a calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Born in Jiangdu (now Yangzhou, Jiangsu), he initially served as a censor and held various posts, eventually becoming the governor of Jizhou and Beihai. He was known as "Li Beihai." He was diligent in writing and personally inscribed and carved stone tablets. Learning from the calligraphy of the Two Wangs (Xizhi and Xianzhi) while also innovating, his brushwork was upright, precise, vigorous, and powerful, forming a distinctive style. He was the only Tang Dynasty calligrapher who made (running script) his primary artistic form and achieved remarkable success. He had a significant influence on later generations. The Song Dynasty's "Xuanhe Shupu" provided a comprehensive evaluation of Li Yong: "Li Yong initially learned from the running script of Wang Xizhi, mastering the techniques of (undulating fluctuations). After fully grasping the essence, he broke free from old habits, creating a new brush force. Li Yangbing remarked that Li Yong's literary and calligraphic works were highly valued during his time, and only Li Yong achieved this. At that time, people offered gold and silk to seek Li Yong's calligraphy, and he received over ten thousand in total, a level of popularity never seen before. Observing Li Yong's calligraphic works, their origins clearly trace back to Wang Xizhi. Critics praised his calligraphy as possessing (permeating clarity) and a vibrant, divine-like force. This is indeed a reputation that matches his actual talent. Du Fu composed a poem to admire him, saying: 'His fame matches his strong brush, elegant and refined.' He was universally admired in this way." Ming Dynasty's Dong Qichang compared Wang Xizhi to a dragon and Li Yong to an elephant, using the metaphor of an elephant to describe Li Yong's steady yet majestic brush force, rivaling the agility of a dragon. Qing Dynasty's He Shaoji praised Li Yong's large-character (running-cursive script) as a masterpiece, which later generations eagerly pursued, to the extent that all four major calligraphers of the Song Dynasty, except Cai Xiang, were influenced by him. During the Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Mengfu, due to his dedicated study of Li Yong's calligraphy in his later years, greatly improved his own skills. This book selects and compiles Li Yong's running script works, such as the "Yunwei General Stele," the running-cursive "Lushan Temple Stele," and the cursive "Qingre" (Letter of Clear Heat).