Four Inscriptions of Sculptures from Eastern and Western Wei Dynasties

Author: Lu Fusheng
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-07-01
Features: The Great Series of Folk Calligraphy in China. Calligraphy during the Northern and Southern Dynasties was a popular and widespread artistic activity, with almost everyone from all social strata participating in this religiously significant practice. It was this nationwide fervor that erased the differences between elites and commoners. Amidst the custom of erecting vertical steles and creating sculptures, the term "folk nature," driven by conformity, nearly obscured the objective value judgment of the art itself. Of course, there were also specific factors, such as the frequent wars and dynastic changes that led to the desire for divine protection, as well as the disdain for steles and epitaphs among the scholars of the Southern Dynasties, which resulted in few calligraphers or carvers signing their work, adding to the mysterious allure of unsigned steles. The homogeneity of calligraphic styles made it difficult for individual expressions to be identified, except by those with professional training, or in subtle details. Additionally, the sheer volume of steles produced during this period led to a mix of excellence and mediocrity. Therefore, we can conclude that this was a unique calligraphic cultural phenomenon of a special era. The phenomena it presented, such as the blending of scripts, the occurrence of variant characters, regional calligraphic styles, and the roles of calligraphers and carvers, all require the theoretical research efforts of future generations to sift through and clarify the mysteries.