Song Chaiying Guangtang Mi Tie: Mi Fu (One)

Author: Wang Haoming
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-06-01
Features:
Cai Shu (1051-1107), styled Yuanzhang, was known as Xiangyang Manshi and Haiyue Wai Shi. His ancestral home was in Shanxi, but he moved to Xiangyang, earning the nickname "Cai Xiangyang." Historical accounts describe him as eccentric, fond of Tang-style clothing, and obsessively clean. He would treat stones as "brothers," worshipping them with great reverence, hence the moniker "Cai Dian." At the age of six, he could recite a hundred poems, learned calligraphy at seven, and began carving inscriptions at ten. By the age of twenty-one, he entered official service, proving himself a prodigious talent. In calligraphy, he was one of the "Four Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty" (Su, Cai, Huang, and Cai) and ranked first among them. His style was unrestrained yet disciplined, earning Su Dongpo's praise for its "freedom in script, boldness in stroke, and mastery in execution." On the other hand, he pioneered the "Cai Family Cloud Mountains" technique in landscape painting, skillfully using blurred brushwork to depict misty Jiangnan scenery. He employed varying shades of ink—thick, dry, horizontal dots, and clustered strokes—to recreate layered mountain peaks, earning the name "Cai Dian." His works inspired countless later painters, who emulated his style, elevating the "literati painting" tradition to new heights. Cai Shu's son, Cai Youren, left behind numerous works, ensuring the continuation of this style and earning acclaim in art history. Whether Cai Shu prioritized calligraphy or painting, historians held different views. As a calligrapher, painter, appraiser, and collector, Cai Shu amassed a vast collection, spanning diverse fields. His keen eye and meticulous expertise made his works invaluable for later studies of art history. His major works include Treasures for Later Generations to Seek, History of Calligraphy, History of Painting, History of Inkstones, and Haiyue Annotations. Treasures for Later Generations to Seek, compiled in the first year of Yuanyou (1086), is divided into "Personal Observations" and "Hearsay," recording eighty-four works from the Jin and Tang dynasties, setting a precedent for later catalogues and exerting significant influence. Some even wrote works mimicking its style, such as Zhang Chou's Four Tables of Zhang Family. History of Calligraphy is even more detailed, serving as a reference for later appraisers. Haiyue, primarily a record of his personal experiences and insights, is highly regarded. It is generally believed to have been compiled from his remarks by later scholars. Cai Shu devoted himself deeply to calligraphy, achieving his greatest success in running script. Although few of his paintings survive, his calligraphic works are well-preserved. In the famous anthologies of the Southern Song Dynasty and later, his calligraphy is frequently included, demonstrating its widespread dissemination and profound impact. Among the "Four Great Calligraphers of the Northern Song," Cai Shu ranks first. Kang Youwei once remarked, "The Tang emphasized structure, while the Song valued spirit." This highlights the Song calligraphers' focus on individuality and expressiveness, a trait Cai Shu embodied exceptionally, making him the outstanding representative of the Northern Song quartet. Cai Shu claimed to have "collected ancient characters" in his calligraphy, a practice some mocked but others praised, as Wang Wenji noted, "His natural talent surpasses all, yet he stands alone by collecting the old." This reflects the foundation of his success. According to Cai Shu, before studying Jin calligraphy under Su Dongpo, he was heavily influenced by five Tang calligraphers: Yan Zhenqing, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, Shen Chuanshi, and Duan Jizhan. Cai Shu employed unique brush techniques, such as the rounded turn at the right corner of the character "men," the abrupt rise of vertical hooks, and the crab-claw hook—all derived from Yan's running script. His calligraphic style, though sharp and slender, imitated Ouyang's, a practice he maintained for a long time. Shen Chuanshi's running script resembled Chu Suiliang's. Cai Shu studied large-character calligraphy under Duan Jizhan, and the phrase "four-sided uniqueness" and "brush-like writing" may have originated from this. Chu Suiliang's expressive brushwork and dynamic composition aligned with Cai Shu's taste, earning his admiration: "His characters are like a well-tempered horse, responsive yet spirited." In 1082, after the Yuanfeng era, he sought Jin dynasty calligraphy and acquired Wang Xianzhi's Mid-Autumn Letter within a year. This influential work deeply impacted him, as he often felt Wang Xuanzhi the elder was inferior to his son. However, his unrestrained nature led him to declare, "I grow weary of Wang's poor calligraphy," and "I will discard the bad handwriting of the two Wangs." It is said Cai Shu studied Yang Xin, and Li Zhiyi remarked, "The immortal Cai Shu surpasses me, and his Yang Xin script is even more extraordinary." Thus, Cai Shu's study of Yang Xin likely began after settling in Haiyue An, post-Yuanyou 6. Despite this, Cai Shu's style remained unrefined. His works from Yuanyou 3—The Tiao River Letter, Commentary on Yin Lingming's Head-Trotting Temple Stele, and The Shu Silk Manuscript—showed significant stylistic differences within a month, indicating he had not fully overcome the influence of "collecting ancient characters." Only later, when "he finally achieved his own style, and others could not discern its essence," did he fully establish his unique style, likely after the age of fifty. This mature calligraphic style, however, was marred by his unrestrained pursuit of "power," even in small like Eulogy for Empress Dowager Xiang. This "power" was both an asset and a flaw. As Huang Tingjian aptly remarked, "He excelled only in running script, while regular and cursive scripts were inferior." The term "regular script" at the time was not strictly defined—it did not necessarily refer to modern regular script, but rather to seal and clerical scripts, which Cai Shu indeed struggled with. His surviving seal and clerical scripts were mediocre, and his cursive script was no better. His later dismissal of Tang dynasty cursive scripts and limited understanding of Jin dynasty cursive scripts led to subpar results. Cai Shu approached calligraphy with diligence, unlike those who imagined him writing effortlessly. He himself stated, "When I wrote Poem of Haihai, I revised it three or four times, yet only a few characters pleased me. True calligraphy is indeed a difficult task" (as recorded in Fan Mingtai's Biography of Cai Xiangyang). A poem revised three or four times, with only a few lines satisfactory, reveals the struggles of a true master. His meticulous approach to distribution, structure, and brushwork was unparalleled. He demanded "steadiness without stiffness, boldness without eccentricity, maturity without dryness, and richness without fatness." This aligns with Jiang Kui's observation, "No downward stroke is without contraction, no forward stroke is without recovery," emphasizing harmony in contrast—blending tightness and looseness, thinness and thickness, simplicity and complexity. His calligraphy embodied "bone, sinew, flesh, and luster, like an excellent gentleman." In composition, he prioritized overall rhythm while refining details, writing with confidence yet adapting spontaneously. Cai Shu's brushwork was characterized by its ability to create a dynamic, soaring style through varying angles, inclinations, turns, and pauses. His starting strokes were often heavy, lightening in the middle, and sharp at turns, with numerous variations in downward strokes—sometimes at the beginning, sometimes at the end, or in the middle of a stroke, even with three undulations in long horizontal strokes. His hooks were also distinctive. His calligraphy often featured a leaning posture—leaning left before right, rising before falling—to add vitality and energy. This was grounded in decades of studying ancient scripts, making his style natural and unforced. Followers of Cai Shu, even those with access to his works, struggled to replicate his "wildness." Since the Song and Yuan dynasties, discussions on Cai Shu's calligraphy have fallen into two camps: one praised him without reservation, while the other acknowledged both strengths and weaknesses, with praise prevailing. Su Dongpo exemplified the former, holding Cai Shu in high regard. As one of the "Four Great Calligraphers of the Northern Song," Cai Shu excelled in dynamic style. His achievements stemmed entirely from hard work. At thirty, serving in Changsha, he encountered the Yuelu Temple Stele and visited Lushan's East Lin Temple Stele the following year, leaving inscriptions. In Yuanyou 2, he exchanged Zhang Xuan's six paintings and Xu Hao's two scrolls for Li Yong's Letter on Hot Rice and Gua Fen. His calligraphy reflects this: the twenty-four-year-old inscription on Longyin Rock in Lingui showed promise but lacked individuality; the thirty-year-old commentary on The Horse-Drawn Cart revealed his natural talent was inferior to his dedication. Cai Shu's occasional self-praise was understandable, as he was "proud of his high ideals." His self-explanations of calligraphy study sometimes bordered on the mystical, such as claiming to have learned Yan's running script since childhood. Yet his success stemmed from relentless practice, with no shortcuts. He wrote daily, as evidenced by two records: "A day without calligraphy makes my mind sluggish—I believe ancient masters never paused in their writing." "Zhi Yong's inkstone became a pestle only after reaching Wang Xizhi. If you want to surpass Wang, you must surpass Zhong and Su." His son Cai Youren even claimed he never skipped writing even on New Year's Day. Cai Shu was a avid collector, often traveling with his "Cai Family Painting and Calligraphy Ship." His obsession with stones was well-documented in the Song Shi, and Yuan Ni's poem On Cai Nan Gong's Worship of Stones described him as "a man who adored inkstones and stones, exploring their beauty as a lifelong hobby. He drew a self-portrait worshipping a stone, proving his fame as 'Cai Dian' was no exaggeration." Inspired by this, later painters created works on this theme, cementing Cai Shu's worship of stones as a legendary tale. An unusual stone stood before his Baojin Studio, used for appreciation. His Letter on Unusual Stones records this. Legend claims Cai Shu had a four-character method for evaluating stones: "thin, elegant, rugged, and penetrating." He also loved inkstones, essential tools for calligraphers. His History of Inkstones detailed the differences and qualities of ancient inkstones, advocating, "Inkstones are valued for their utility, and stone texture is prized for ink-diffusion." Appraisals of Baojin Calligraphy quotes from the Forest Collection: "You must have a precious inkstone—my first priority." Cai Shu's devotion to inkstones was profound. Inkstone mountains, natural formations resembling peaks, were polished at the base to hold water for grinding ink. They served as both decorative pieces and writing tools. The Forest Collection。，，，《()》。()，。《》，，。《》。，，，。，“，”，，。。《》、、、。。。。：，，，；，，()、，，。，。，，。，。，。