A Study Of Song Dynasty Inscriptions On Dazu Rock Carvings In Calligraphy

The Song Dynasty was the golden period of the development of Dazu stone carving art,and a large number of stone carving inscriptions were left,which are in four styles: seal script,clerical script,real script,and running script,and are mostly the best works in the history of stone inscription.This paper takes the Song Dynasty inscriptions on Dazu rock carvings as the object of study,and analyzes the characteristics of calligraphic styles,evolutionary patterns,calligraphic origins,calligraphers and carvers of Song Dynasty inscriptions on Dazu rock carvings from the perspectives of calligraphic history and calligraphic art aesthetics,and discusses the significance and value of calligraphy of Song Dynasty inscriptions on Dazu rock carvings on this basis.The regular script accounts for more than 90% of the Song Dynasty inscriptions carved in Dazu,with a large number of inscriptions and a large time span,and basically represents the development of regular script in the Bashu region during the Song Dynasty: the Dazu inscriptions of the early and mid Northern Song Dynasty continue the calligraphic tradition of the late Tang and Fifth Dynasties inscriptions,and tend to be close to the clear,strong and sharp style of the "Ou Style".The Dazu inscriptions from the mid-to-late Northern Song Dynasty to the early Southern Song Dynasty are in the transition period from Tang style to Song style,mainly in the form of "Yan style" with flat characters,loose inside and tight outside;and in the form of "Su Kai" with pincer side characters,tight inside and loose outside.The Dazu inscriptions of the mid-to-late Southern Song Dynasty were influenced by the "Shang Yi" style of calligraphy,and were written in a variety of styles,showing the characteristics of the "Four Schools of Song".Although the number of line,clerical and seal script is relatively small,they also represent the development of other calligraphic styles in Ba Shu during the Song Dynasty and should not be ignored.The inscriptions in the Dazu stone inscriptions of the early and middle periods of the Northern Song Dynasty continue the style of the "courtyard style" of the late Tang Dynasty,and the overall style tends to be handsome and elegant.The line inscriptions from the late Northern Song Dynasty onward are characterized by the "Shang Yi" style of calligraphy,which is a blend of contradictions and conflicts and is rich in dramatic tension.The surviving Song Dynasty Official Script inscriptions in Dazu were all created in the Southern Song Dynasty,mainly as travelogues and inscriptions created by literati and scholars.According to the style categories,they can be divided into two categories: one category is clear and dignified,with a clear tendency to regularize the strokes and a strong sense of decoration;the other category is influenced by the style of the Han cliffs carved in Bashu,with an open style and a mountainous atmosphere.There are only three seal script inscriptions from the Song Dynasty among the Dazu rock carvings,and the overall style continues the style of Li Yangbing from the Tang Dynasty,which is round and fluent.In addition,due to its unique religious attributes and regional culture,the "sutra" inscriptions,the "vulgar characters" in religious inscriptions,and the reproduction of famous inscriptions show characteristics that are different from the popular calligraphy style of the same period.These special types of inscriptions reflect the diversity of Song Dynasty inscriptions carved in Dazu.In addition,the Song calligraphers of the Dazu Rock Carvings include officials,literati,monks,and commoners from all walks of life,representing the style of "scholar calligraphy" and "folk calligraphy" in the Bashu region during the Song.The carvers were mainly from the local area of Changzhou and its surrounding areas,mainly from the Wen family and the Foo family,who worked as a family to build the grottoes in the eastern part of Sichuan.The inscriptions on the Dazu Rock Carvings reflect the form and style of Song inscriptions,and the analysis of these inscriptions not only provides insight into the development of Song inscription calligraphy,but is also of great importance to the study of the history of Shu calligraphy as a whole.