Contemporary Calligraphy Masterpieces Appreciation -- Calligraphy Works of Li Xiaoru

Author: Jia Dejiang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: As early as twenty years ago, when Xiao Liru was still young, he won the Excellent Award in six categories (Seal Script, Clerical Script, Regular Script, Running Script, Cursive Script, and Seal Cutting) at the first National Youth "Shenlong Cup" Calligraphy Competition and gained fame in the calligraphy world. This demonstrates his solid traditional foundation and broad calligraphic style. Xiao Liru advocates: "The journey of learning calligraphy must start from the top and move downward. Without the roots of the Qin and Han dynasties, it is difficult to achieve a profound and rustic style." Therefore, his calligraphy integrates the styles of the pre-Qin and Han periods, as well as the Jin and Tang dynasties, excelling in Oracle Bone Script, Bronze Inscriptions, Small Seal Script, Clerical Script, Regular Script, Running Script, and Cursive Script. Not only are his scripts diverse, but each type also has a unique style—sometimes bold and unrestrained, rustic and ancient; sometimes elegant and graceful, free and spirited; sometimes unrestrained and eccentric; or refined and elegant, each with its own charm and character. His small regular script is full of scholarly charm, clear, elegant, and distant, exuding a pure and refined aura; his seal script is rustic, wild, and unrestrained, with strong bone structure; his clerical script directly pursues the boldness, antiquity, and natural charm of Han dynasty steles; his running and cursive script is skillful in control, with inherent bone strength, reflecting the brushwork of Nan Gong and Jue Si. In calligraphic style creation, Xiao Liru is proficient in all four scripts, each with a distinct style, a rare achievement in today's calligraphy world.