A Study On Wang Wenzhi's Thoughts Of Chinese Calligraphy

Wang Wenzhi was a well-known poet and calligrapher during the reign of Qianlong and Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty, who was erudite and expert in Zen dogma.As one of the representative calligraphers of the Tie shcool in the mid-Qing Dynasty, his thoughts on Calligraphy had a relatively complete system. He advocated the standpoint of "Following Wang Xizhi as a Model", and broke through the narrow horizon of only learning from Zhao Mengfu and Dong Qichang in the early Qing Dynasty; His thoughts on calligraphy directed the method for calligraphy learners to follow Wang Xizhi, for example, the view that "It is necessary to learn from the ancient forerunners who learned from their ancestors, but what is more necessary is to learn why they did so" and his idea of "starting from Song Tie, and taking authentic works for reference"; His emphasis on the tastes outside calligraphy embodied the importance attached to self-cultivation advocated by traditional scholars in China.It's safe to conclude that Wang Wenzhi's comments setting Wang Xizhi as the yardstick for comparison on the previous calligraphers embodied his calligraphic ideology.The calligraphic appraisal of Wang Wenzhi was derived from that of Dong Qichang, which meant that calligraphic appraisal should focus on the stylistic charm instead of textual study. Wang Wenzhi's communication with Yao Nai, Bi Yuan, Pan Lianchao and Wang Xinnong greatly influenced the formation of his calligraphic viewpoint. The rich collections of Bi Yuan, Wang Xinnong widened his artistic horizon. The communication with Yao Nai and Pan Lianchao in literature and art inspired their artistic views, and consequently acted on their calligraphic creation, appreciation and collection, as well as their personalities.By organizing and analyzing Wang Wenzhi's calligraphic viewpoint, this paper is intended to help calligraphy learners to understand and appreciate the styles and features of the Tie School during the reign of Qianlong and Jiaqing in the Qing Dynasty, and to choose the most effective method in learning.