A Study Of The Calligrapists' Group And The Concept Of Returning To The Yuan Dynasty

Retro concept is the mainstream of calligraphy thoughts in Yuan Dynasty, and its central idea is the traditional regression to Wei and Jin Dynasties, as well as the return to the calligraphy style of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi. The process of its surge and advancement cannot be simply attributed to some certain person but a group to promote such results. In the group of calligraphers, the individual calligraphy viewpoints as well as the calligraphic practices influence each other, which ultimately have an important influence on the formation and change of the Yuan Dynasty calligraphy. The research objects of this paper are the calligraphers groups, who gathered and are analyzed according to the different conditions as period, region, purpose and core figures. This paper also tries to analyze the function of group calligraphic concept to the development process.Taking the time as the division standard, in this paper the calligraphers in Yuan can be divided into the following three groups: the calligraphers group gathered in Hangzhou in the early Yuan Dynasty; the calligraphers group affected by Zhao Mengtiao in middle Yuan, whom can be subdivided into Jiangsu and Zhejiang calligraphers group in the south and the Kuizhang Pavilion Calligraphers group in the north. The last is Xuanwen Pavilion group and the calligraphers gathered in Kunshan, Jiangsu in the late of Yuan Dynasty.In the previous period of Yuan Dynasty, calligraphers as Xian Yushu and Zhao Mengtiao were committed to reestablish the canonical status of Wang Xizhi style in calligraphy, which is the first change in the Yuan Dynasty vintage. Gradually, as the recognized successor of Wang Xizhi1 style, Zhao Mengtiao was held in high esteem by both the northern and the southern calligraphers. This is the second change of the vintage, which was achieved by the joint force of both the northern and the southern calligraphers. The southern areas as Jiangsu and Zhejiang are where Zhao Mengtiao lived in his old ages. While the northern calligraphers group, representative of Kuizhang Pavilion was constituted by his students after the death of Zhao Mengtiao. This period is the mature period of Retro concept. To the late Yuan Dynasty, calligraphers were aware that the simple learning of Zhao Mengtiao’s style might lead to similar calligraphic style, therefore they expanded the scope of the objects and formed a unique feature of calligraphy, which is the third change of Retro concept. In the north area, the Xuanwen Pavilion calligraphy group selected diverse learning models to practice, while the real innovation was presented by those in the Yushan Rally in South.In addition to the main line of time, this paper also analyses how the bally, which formed for the collection and appreciation by calligraphers, influenced the individual calligraphic style. It also analyses what impacts Retro Concept brought about on collection and appreciation. In the last part, this paper analyses the full calligraphic retro of Yuan Dynasty from the aspects of the renaissance of Zhuan and Li script.