Northern Wei Dynasty "Zhang He Nü Tomb Inscription"

Author: Xie Daoyou
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-12-01
Features: The Calligraphy Practice Course for Famous Masters of Different Dynasties in Regular Script is specially planned and edited for calligraphy enthusiasts who love regular script. Regular script is primarily a static script style, with its strokes, radicals, and structures having certain norms, and there are relatively fixed patterns to follow. Therefore, many calligraphy enthusiasts regard regular script as the starting point for learning calligraphy, and many teachers also choose it as the first script for students to learn. Many people have written regular script throughout history, leaving behind a wealth of calligraphy relics with great stylistic differences, offering ample choices for later learners. However, the famous calligraphy works that have had a profound impact on the history of calligraphy remain excellent models for study. Based on this consideration, this Calligraphy Practice Course selects eight works: the Zhang Menglong Stele and Zhang He’nu’s Tomb Inscription from the Northern Wei period, the Liquan Temple Stele by Ouyang Xun, the Yanta Holy Teaching Order by Chu Suiliang, the Dabao Pagoda Stele and Yanqin Stele by Yan Zhenqing, the Xuanmi Pagoda Stele by Liu Gongquan, and the Miaoyan Temple Record by Zhao Mengfu. This course focuses on techniques, covering aspects such as strokes, radicals, structure, and layout in regular script. Its features are twofold: 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 is fully engaged and actively seeks expert advice, striving to present high-quality content to readers. Second, improving writing quality. This course emphasizes making basic techniques comprehensive, microscopic, specific, and highly operational. The selected example characters are highly targeted, and the accompanying explanations are concise yet to the point. The Zhang He’nu’s Tomb Inscription, also known as the Zhang Xuan Tomb Inscription, is a representative work of Wei-style calligraphy. Its style is robust, classical, and elegant, with a dynamic and flowing charm, incorporating significant elements of clerical script. Mr. Ouyang Zhongshi once discussed the techniques for practicing this stele, saying, "If you use a large brush with little ink, deliberate carefully, and lightly stroke, it will be very easy to capture its essence."