Shaoji, Zhao Zhiqian Cursive Style Comparison

Stele theory thrived greatly during Qing Dynasty. Shaoji He and Zhiqian Zhao are the successful practitioners of the thoughts of the stele theory of Qing Dynasty. They both began to learn calligraphy from Zhenqing Yan, so they were both affected by the stele theory. However, they are quite different in the style of cursive calligraphy. The reasons for that are that one is that their family education background and experience are different, the other is that they are different in thoughts of Stele theory, therefore, they differ in the way of study and absorption and way of forming their styles. Their emulation ways are also not the same under the influence of different thoughts of Stele theory. Shaoji He has profound family education background and his absorption and acceptable way is "linear" style, but his style variety is "gradient". Comparing with him, Zhiqian Zhao's study and absorption is "point" style, and his style change is a kind of "mutation". Shaoji He followed the lingering charm of seal script and official script of steles, and the inscription of Tang Dynasty with such lasting appeal is also in the category of his tablet inscriptions of the Northern Dynasties. He blended the tablet inscription into the rubbing (under layer) in cursive calligraphy. However, Zhiqian Zhao's category of tablet inscriptions of the Northern Dynasties is established in the inscriptions of Six Dynasties and his change breakthrough point is also the Six Dynasties inscriptions. He created the real meaning of stele running script for writing Six Dynasties epigraph which formed the way of writing cursive calligraphy in methods of writing regular script.