He Shaoji copying the Zhang Qian Stele

Author: He Shaoji (Qing Dynasty)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-06-01
Features: He Shaoji, born in 1799 and passed away in 1873, was a native of Daozhou, Hunan (now Da County). He was a poet and calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty. His courtesy name was Zizhen, and his sobriquets were Dongzhou and Wan suo. He passed the imperial examination during the Daoguang era and served as a compiler. He was well-read in various fields, with writings in classics, history, and philosophy, particularly excelling in the study of small script. His calligraphy was renowned worldwide. His calligraphy style evolved from the seal scripts and inscriptions of the Qin and Han dynasties to the steles of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, eventually forming his own unique style. The "Xi Ke Za Zhu" praises his calligraphy as "focusing on learning from Yan Qingchen, accumulating decades of effort, exploring the origins of seal and clerical scripts, reaching a realm of divine and immortal artistry. In his later years, he was particularly diligent in practicing calligraphy, imitating works such as 'Heng Xingzu' and 'Zhang Gongfang' in numerous copies, where his spirit and technique merged, revitalizing calligraphy for centuries." Throughout his life, he created many couplets rather than ordinary ceremonial works, demonstrating great dedication and high artistic skill, earning him the title of "Sage of Calligraphic Couplets." He authored works such as "Dongzhou Shitang Jinshi Ba," "Dongzhou Shitang Shi Wen Chao," "Xi Dao Wei Zhai Jing Shuo," and "Shu Wen Duan Zhu Zheng." He left behind a wealth of calligraphic works. The "Epitaph for Deng Shiru," written in 1865 during the Tongzhi era, is a paper-based inkwork in regular script. It consists of seven scrolls, each measuring 30.6 cm in height and 30.3 cm in width. It is now preserved in the Palace Museum. He Shaoji's regular script was initially inspired by Ouyang Tong's "Dao Yin Stele," later broadening his practice to include the steles of the Six Dynasties and Yan Zhenqing's regular script, particularly focusing on the "Epitaph for Zhang Xuan." This piece by He Shaoji for Deng Shiru reflects the dignified and expansive character of Yan's script. He advocated starting with seal and clerical scripts as the best way to overcome the "fear of the center" in calligraphy. Therefore, in terms of technique, he chose the wrist-reversing grip method. When writing the epitaph for Deng Shiru, He Shaoji was nearing his seventies, yet he skillfully avoided the tremors in his lines caused by his unique technique, making the work more subtle.