Selected Calligraphy Works of Mi Fu

Author: Lu Peng
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1993-12-01
Features: Calligraphy, which holds an extremely important position in the grand hall of Chinese cultural arts, has left us countless masterpieces over its three-thousand-year history and has nurtured great calligraphers like Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, as well as Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Ou Yun, and Zhao Mengfu. Calligraphy not only possesses a high artistic appreciation value but also has strong social practicality. To produce a book that is both refined and accessible, guiding people in practicing calligraphy, is both the wish of calligraphy enthusiasts and the bounden duty of publishing departments. Contemporary Chinese publishers have invited relevant experts and scholars to compile this large-scale series, A Collection of Calligraphy Masterpieces by Famous Calligraphers Through the Ages, by gathering the essence of the sixth volume of calligraphy and the brilliance of the stars in the calligraphy world throughout history. The intention is to provide outstanding works for calligraphy enthusiasts at different levels to study and practice, and to allow readers to explore the beauty of calligraphy without leaving their homes. The works left by calligraphers for later generations are primarily inscriptions in ancient times and ink rubbings in modern times. It is understood that inscriptions are more convenient for copying and are more popular with readers, so this series is published in the form of inscriptions. When selecting a collection of a calligrapher's works, it is generally arranged in chronological order, but this series is primarily organized by script styles—Seal script, Clerical script, Regular script, Running script, and Cursive script. These two points must be explained to the readers.
Mi Fu, styled Yuanzhang, was also known as Lumen Jushi, Xiangyang Manshi, and Haiye Wai Shi. He was a renowned Northern Song Dynasty calligrapher, painter, and collector. His ancestral home was Taiyuan, but he later moved to Xiangyang and was known as "Mi Xiangyang." During the Xuanhe period, he was summoned by Emperor Huizong Zhao Ji as a professor of calligraphy and painting. Mi Fu was skilled in poetry and prose, and his calligraphy and painting were particularly outstanding. He was proficient in all script styles, with exceptional expertise in Running and Cursive scripts. He claimed to have studied various schools and styles, but his works show the most influence from Wang Xizhi and Xue Yong. His calligraphy is vigorous, expressive, elegant, and full of novelty. In his later years, his art reached a level of perfection. He was ranked alongside Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, and Cai Xiang as one of the "Four Masters of the Song Dynasty." Mi Fu wrote works such as Shu Shi (A History of Calligraphy), Hua Shi (A History of Painting), and Haiye Mingyan (Haiye's Sayings), in which he often criticized predecessors but never blindly imitated their styles, earning respect from calligraphers throughout history. His surviving ink rubbings include Poetry of Taoxi, Se Sutu, Reminiscence of Fangyuan An, and Ode to Tianma, among which he had many short letters and small works. Su Shi praised Mi Fu's calligraphy as "like a fleet sailing in the wind and rain, profound and vigorous, worthy to be ranked alongside Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi—not only not inferior but surpassing them." Huang Tingjian described Mi Fu's calligraphy as "like a swift sword formation, powerful as an arrow shooting a thousand miles, piercing through everything. The brushwork of calligraphers reaches its peak here." Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, both among the "Four Masters of the Song Dynasty," held such high praise for Mi Fu, truly admiring him.
The History of the Song Dynasty described Mi Fu's calligraphy as "profound and soaring, capturing the brushwork of Wang Xizhi, especially skilled in copying, to the point where it is indistinguishable from the original." The Xuanhe Shupu (Xuanhe Catalogue of Calligraphy) said: "His calligraphy learned from Wang Xizhi, poetry pursued Li Bai, Seal script followed Shi Liu, Clerical script learned from Shi Yiguan. In his later years, he moved beyond rigid rules and said, 'A good calligrapher uses only one stroke, but I have four sides.' Each character on a small piece of paper was highly sought after, considered a treasure." This book selects Mi Fu's small Regular script works such as Yanran Mountain Inscription and Thousand Characters, Running script works such as Poetry of Taoxi, Calligraphy Learning, and Reminiscence of Fangyuan An, and Cursive script works such as New Year.