He Shaoji inscribes the Stele of Lushan Temple

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 Qing Dynasty poet and calligrapher. 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 notable works in classics, history, and philosophy, particularly excelling in the study of small script. His calligraphy was renowned worldwide. His calligraphic 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 script and clerical script, reaching a realm of divine artistry. In his later years, he was particularly diligent in practicing, imitating works such as 'Heng Xingzu' and 'Zhang Gong Fang' extensively, where his spirit and technique merged, revitalizing calligraphy in China for centuries." Throughout his life, he created numerous couplets rather than routine 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 Shiwen Chao," "Xide Wei Zhai Jingshuo," and "Shuowen Duan Zhuang Zhengji." 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 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 six-dynasty steles and Yan Zhenqing's regular script, particularly focusing on the "Zhang Xuan Stele." In this epitaph for Deng Shiru, He Shaoji embodies the dignified and expansive essence of Yan Zhenqing's style. He advocated for starting with seal script and clerical script as the best way to overcome the "middle weakness" in technique. Therefore, in terms of technique, he adopted 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.