From Wen Zhengming To Wang Duo And Fu Shan

Among the official script made by calligraphers in the early and middle Ming Dynasty,the features look much more similar.However,to the end of the Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty,obvious changes could be seen in the feature of the official script with more varieties compared with the previous works.In this paper,Wen Zhengming,Wang Duo and Fu Shan these three calligraphers are given especial attention with aims to explore the evolution of the official script from the middle Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty.In terms of styles and views,Wen Zhengming mainly learned from methods in Wei and Jin Dynasties,his official script was affected slightly by the official script in Yuan Dynasty.While Wang Duo learned more from The stele of Cao Quan,an official script in Han Dynasty.Yet Fu Shan had learned more widely from the official script in Han,there were variety of styles in his official scripts;As for understandings and cognition of official script,Wen Zhengming claimed that there must be regular foundation in the writing.Also,he took the official script in Wei and Jin Dynasties as the official script in Han Dynasty.Wang Duo and Fu Shan believed that the Zhuan official script should be taken as the basis in the writing;The distinctions in features and understandings studied above among these three calligraphers reflect,to a large extent,the evolution of the official script from the middle Ming Dynasty to the early Qing Dynasty.Reasons for these distinctions and changes can be analyzed from various facets.Firstly,it lies in different cultural and academic background.There was a rapid economic and cultural development in the mid Ming dynasty,the literati were wild about the cursive creation yet the interest about official script were in the doldrums.Until the early Qing Dynasty,sphragistics and textual criticism rose,which made calligraphers more interested in official scrip;Secondly,there are distinction not only in the seen inscriptions on the tablet but also in aesthetic orientations.Wen Zhengming took the official script with jackknife head in Wei and Jin Dynasties as the highest criterion.While a large number of inscriptions had been unearthed in the late Ming Dynasty and the early Qing Dynasty,which provided Wang Duo and Fu Shan with great convenience so that they could explore the official script in Han dynasty and learn the ancient writing method.;Thirdly,it is believed that both writing functions and psychology play a role.Wen Zhengming's official script were solemn and appeared to be regular and rigorous,since for most cases he wrote to response to the invitation of seniors or friends.However,the works of Wang Duo and Fu Shan were for entertainment with the expression of soul.Thus their works tend to possess more writing interest.