Zhang Xushu's Official Record of the Stone

Author: (Tang) Zhang Xu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Zhang Xu, styled Bo'gao, was a renowned calligrapher known for writing while intoxicated, earning the nickname "Zhang Dian." He was celebrated for his cursive script, poetry with Li Bai, and sword dance with Pei Xun, forming the "Three Perfections." A native of Wu Jun, he was widely known as Zhang Changshi, though his birth and death dates remain unknown. He mastered calligraphy from the "Two Wangs" while also innovating independently. His regular script was upright and rigorous, adhering to the highest standards, earning praise from Huang Shanyu for being "unparalleled among Tang dynasty regular script calligraphers." If his regular script was more about inheritance than creation, his cursive script was an extraordinary innovation and development in calligraphy. Han Yu said, "Zhang Xu excelled in cursive script and neglected other skills, so his calligraphy was as unpredictable as ghosts and gods, beyond ordinary observation." Du Fu wrote in "Song of the Eight Immortals," "Three cups of wine and the sage's transmission, Zhang Xu removes his hat and reveals his crown before nobles, his brush falling on paper like clouds and mist." He elevated calligraphy art to a realm where abstract dots and lines expressed the calligrapher's profound emotions, reaching a high artistic level. In his calligraphy, his characters appeared strange yet were not truly strange, as every stroke strictly followed traditional rules. It can be said that he used traditional techniques to express his individuality, becoming a creative calligrapher worthy of his era. His calligraphy was grand, fresh, unrestrained, and bold, far surpassing the works of predecessors and embodying the strong atmosphere of the mid-Tang dynasty.