Huang Su's Three Cursive Manuscripts

Author: Shanghai Shuhua Publishing House
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2001-12-01
Features: This book is one of the classics of Chinese stone inscriptions and rubbings. It includes three calligraphy scrolls by the Tang Dynasty master calligrapher Huaisu. The book is printed beautifully, capturing the essence of the original works, making it an excellent model for calligraphy enthusiasts learning cursive script. The Tang Dynasty was a golden age in Chinese calligraphy history, with regular and rigorous styles setting the standard for the art. The balanced, solemn, and harmonious regular script reflected a high degree of rational beauty. However, in cursive script, calligraphers used bold, dynamic, and unrestrained techniques to express a highly romantic and color. The interplay of stillness and movement created a vibrant and colorful Tang Dynasty calligraphy. Zhang Xu and Huaisu were representative figures of Tang Dynasty cursive script. Huaisu, styled Zangzhen, was born into a family named Qian in Changsha, Hunan. According to the postscript of Huaisu’s Small Cursive Thousand Characters, he was born in the 25th year of the Kaiyuan era (737 AD) of the Tang Dynasty and died in the 15th year of the Zhenyuan era (799 AD). He became a monk in his youth and, while devoted to Buddhism, also loved calligraphy. Due to his poverty, he had no money to buy paper, so he planted over 10,000 banana trees in his residence to provide a medium for writing. He was unrestrained and unconcerned with trivial matters, often writing on temple walls, walls, clothing, and utensils when drunk and inspired. He even wrote on a wooden plate until it wore through, leaving behind a pile of discarded brushes, which he buried under a hill, calling it the "Brush Tomb." His dedication to calligraphy was evident. His cursive script was influenced by Wang Xianzhi and Zhang Zhi, and he also learned from the brush techniques of Wu Tong and Yan Zhenqing. One night, while watching summer clouds drift with the wind, he suddenly realized the concept of "creating forms with the flow," claiming to have attained the "trance of the cursive sage." Truly, his focus was undivided, and his spirit was concentrated. His calligraphy gained fame in the calligraphy world, especially earning praise from Yan Zhenqing. His large cursive script was swift and powerful, like a startled snake or a flying viper, as if in a whirlwind. Yet, even when seemingly beyond the rules, his brushwork moved with precision and rhythm. Shen Youping once remarked on his calligraphy: "Huaisu’s calligraphy is wonderful because, though seemingly spontaneous and unrestrained, it never deviates from the principles of the Wei and Jin dynasties." People called Zhang Xu and Huaisu "the mad Zhang and the Huai," but in reality, their madness was not true madness, their drunkenness not true drunkenness. When writing large cursive script, they were in a state of heightened inspiration, forgetting themselves and the rules, achieving a realm of "doing as one pleases without breaking the rules." Huaisu’s cursive script became more subdued in his later years. His Small Cursive Thousand Characters features meticulous brushwork, round strokes, and a deliberate yet tranquil and elegant style, without any trace of wildness or aggression. The Longevity Mother Scroll and the Lu Gong Scroll included in this book are masterpieces of his cursive script. The Longevity Mother Scroll was written in the 9th year of the Zhenyuan era (1793 AD) and was engraved together with the Zangzhen Scroll and the Lu Gong Scroll in the Xian Prefecture School in the 3rd year of the Youyuan era (1108 AD) of the Song Dynasty. It is now preserved in the Xian Stele Forest. According to the Biography of the Eastern Ling Mother in the Complete Biography of the Immortal of Longevity, the Eastern Ling Mother was a woman from Hailing who, after studying with Liu Gang, achieved enlightenment and could transform her form at will. She married a man named Du, who was not a believer in the Dao. The mother often healed the sick and helped others, which only made Du angrier. Eventually, she was sued and divorced. The court arrested her, but she flew away from the prison window into the clouds, leaving behind a pair of sandals. She was worshipped as a deity, and her prayers were answered. A blue bird would gather at the homes of thieves, making the area safe from theft. Over time, however, this stopped, and the people of Hailing no longer stole. The Longevity Mother Scroll praises the mother, and Wang Shizhen in Art Notes remarked: "Though Huaisu’s calligraphy draws from the styles of Wang Xianzhi, Zhang Zhi, and Zhang Xu, his structure is extremely meticulous. In his later years, his calligraphy became round and full, possessing a unique elegance, clearly rooted in the Shan Yin school. His other scrolls are strong and bone-like, but the Longevity Mother Scroll is balanced, refined, and exquisite." Although the scroll does not bear his name, its light and flowing brushwork suggests it was written by Huaisu. The Zangzhen Scroll and the Lu Gong Scroll are also fine examples of his life’s work. They were acquired by An Shimeng in the Five Dynasties period and later owned by the descendants of Wang Sitong. Wang Zuo once wrote: "Huaisu’s Zangzhen and Lu Gong Scrolls are dragon-like and elephantine in their power." Liu Shixan also praised the Lu Gong Scroll: "It is particularly subtle, without the frivolous dance-like movements of some calligraphy. It is sparse and elegant, like the style of a monk, reminiscent of the elegance of the Six Dynasties." These three scrolls, along with the Huaisu Lu Gong Scroll inscribed by Ke Jiensi, are now published in print to provide calligraphy enthusiasts with materials for study and practice.