Tang Ouyang Xun's "Nine Dragon Palace Liquor Spring Inscription"

Author: Chen Ruo Hai (Editor)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: This tutorial focuses on techniques, covering aspects such as strokes, radicals, structure, and layout in clerical script. It emphasizes making basic techniques comprehensive, microscopic, specific, and highly operational. The selected examples are highly targeted, and the accompanying text is concise yet to the point.
Clerical script is primarily a static script style, with its strokes, radicals, and structures following certain norms and relatively fixed patterns. Therefore, many calligraphy enthusiasts regard it as the entry-level script for learning calligraphy, and many teachers also choose it as the first script for students to learn. Numerous calligraphers have practiced clerical script throughout history, leaving behind a wealth of clerical script relics with varying styles. This provides ample choices for later learners. However, the famous clerical script works that have had a profound impact on calligraphy history remain excellent models. Based on this consideration, this tutorial, Clerical Script Practice by Famous Calligraphers Through the Ages, selects eight works: the Northern Wei Zhang Menglong Stele and Zhang He’nu Mausoleum Inscription, the Tang Dynasty Liquan Temple Inscription by Ouyang Xun, Yanta Holy Teaching Order by Chu Suiliang, Dapota Stele and Yanqinli Stele by Yan Zhenqing, Xuanmi Tower Stele by Liu Gongquan, and the Yuan Dynasty Moyan Temple Record by Zhao Yu.
This tutorial focuses on techniques, covering aspects such as strokes, radicals, structure, and layout in clerical script. Its key features are:
First, enhancing editorial involvement. From the development and justification of the topic, the outline writing, the selection of authors, the choice of calligraphy book versions, to the design of the cover and layout, the editorial team participates throughout and actively seeks expert advice, striving to deliver high-quality content to readers.
Second, improving writing quality. This tutorial emphasizes making basic techniques comprehensive, microscopic, specific, and highly operational. The selected examples are highly targeted, and the accompanying explanations are concise yet to the point.
Liquan Temple Inscription is a representative work by Ouyang Xun. This stele is lean and robust, with a rigorous structure. Learning this stele should not be overly rigid; one should appreciate the subtle variations in thickness and thinness within its strict rules, as well as its vitality and flexibility.