His artistic achievements

Yan Zhenqing is a descendant of Langya family with profound family background. Yan Shigu, the fifth ancestor, was a famous scholar in the Northern Qi Dynasty, who once wrote family instructions for Yan. When Yan Zhenqing was young, his family was poor and lacked paper and pens, so he used a pen to brush loess water to practice calligraphy on the wall. Chu Suiliang was a beginner, and later learned Zhang Xu's brushwork. He also absorbed the characteristics of the four schools in the early Tang Dynasty and accepted the brushwork of Zhuanli and the Northern Wei Dynasty. He completed the vigorous and broad creation of colorful regular script, which set a model for regular script in Tang Dynasty.

His regular script is contrary to the calligraphy style of the early Tang Dynasty, featuring brushwork. It is a typical example of perfect combination of calligraphy beauty and personality beauty. His calligraphy style is called "Yan Ti", which is also called "Yan Liu" with Liu Gongquan, and has the reputation of "Yan Liu Jin Gu".

Ouyang Xiu once said: "Yan Gongshu is like a loyal martyr and a moral gentleman. His aim is strictness and respect. People are scared at first sight, but the longer he is, the cuter he is. " There are many people who see treasure in the world, but they are not tired. "Zhu praised his book:" Point like a falling stone, painting like a cloud, hook like a bow, bow like a crossbow, depressed and ambitious. It has never been made public since it was dedicated. Yan Ti Shu has a far-reaching influence on the development of calligraphy art in later generations. After the Tang Dynasty, many famous artists learned from the success of Yan Zhenqing's political reform. Especially cursive script, after the Tang Dynasty, some famous artists learned from Yan Zhenqing and established their own style on the basis of learning from the two kings. Su Shi Ceng Yun: "As for poetry, as for writing, as for Han's retreat, as for painting, as for Wu Daozi, as for books, as for Yan, the changes of ancient and modern times can do everything in the world." ("Dongpo Ming")

He is the author of Wu Jixing, Luzhou Collection and Linchuan Collection. Yan Zhenqing wrote many monuments in his life, which have been passed down to this day: many pagodas, dignified and dense in structure, beautiful and charming; "Dong Fangshuo painted a monument to praise" with a strong Qingyuan style; "The Inscription of the Golden King" is even more dignified and vigorous; "Zang Huaike Monument" is magnificent and vigorous; "Over the cup" is graceful and smooth; Ma Gu Xian Tan Ji is vigorous and solemn, with exquisite structure and full of charm. "Da Tang Fu", carved on a cliff, is the largest regular script in Yan Zhenqing, and its calligraphy is square and smooth, showing no bones and muscles. Song Dynasty Monument, also known as Song Guangping Monument, is open and full of vitality. "Eight official pavilions report good deeds", with strict weather; Yuan Jie Bei is vigorous and far-reaching; The book of manna seeds focuses on harmony; Li Bei's calligraphy is vigorous, but the strokes are fine, which is different from other tablets.

Yan's Temple Monument is rich in calligraphy, which is also his masterpiece in his later years. Handed down from ancient times, there is a staff, a manuscript for offering sacrifices to my nephew, and a staff made by Liu Zhong, who made a confession from the book.

Main work

1, Dong Fangshuo Portrait Praise: There are two regular script works of Dong Fangshuo Portrait Praise, one is Wang Xizhi's small script, and the other is Yan Zhenqing's big script. This inscription, inscribed "Dr. Han Taizhong, Mr. Dongfang, painted a preface to praise", was erected in Dezhou in the 13th year of Tang Tianbao, when Yan Zhenqing was 46 years old. Su Dongpo once studied this monument and wrote: "Yan Lugong wrote a monument in his life, but this monument is Qingxiong." This sentence is very clear, and then I saw Wang Youjun's book. I know the words are very close to this book. Although the size is different, the charm is still good. "There is a cloud in the Ming Dynasty:" Calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, and it is Lu Gong's proud pen. "

2. Sacrifice manuscript: cursive script. During the Anshi Rebellion, Lv Gong's cousin Yan Gaoqing was appointed as the prefect of Changshan County. Thieves and soldiers advanced on him, so that Taiyuan saved our army, and Yan Gaoqing and his son were killed. Therefore, the article says that "thieves and ministers cannot be saved, the isolated city is besieged, the father is trapped and the child dies, and the nest collapses." Later, Duke Zhuang of Lu sent his nephew Quan Ming to clean up the mess. He only got one foot and Ji Ming's skull, so he did it. Duke Lu is fifty years old. Calligraphy works are words, and people say there are words. Duke Lu is a loyal and heroic man, and his life is awe-inspiring. His spiritual integrity is embodied in calligraphy. This manuscript is the most enjoyed by book reviewers. This post was originally a manuscript, but it was deleted and smeared. It can be seen that Duke Lu conceived the article and his feelings fluctuated from beginning to end, so it was written with high spirits, magnificent brushwork and natural charm. All the places where the pen is used up and the belt is pulled can be seen clearly. From beginning to end, I used a slightly bald pen, a round and healthy brushwork, and finally surrendered because the ink was not dry. Although the ink color changed greatly because of the initial pause, the black ash was thick and dry, but it was done at one go. In the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Jingyan wrote an inscription: "It is better to speak than to write a letter, and it is better to write a letter. The cover is an official work, although the end of the letter is a rope contract; Letters are quite indulgent when they are on a whim; Moreover, the drafting was unintentional, and it was his palm that was forgotten. It's great to see it here. " Yuan Xianyu's evaluation of this post is "the second running script in the world".

3. Multi-tower Monument: The full name is "Multi-tower Induction Monument of Qianfu Temple in Xijing, Datang", which was built on April 20th, the 11th year of Tianbao (752), written by Cenxun, inscribed by Yan Zhenqing Shu Dan and Xu Hao, and engraved by Shihua. It is now in the forest of steles in Xi 'an. The inscription tells that longxing temple in Xijing and Monk Chu read the Goblet of Fire on a quiet night today, as if many pagodas appeared from time to time. He is determined to turn the stupa in illusion into reality. In the first year of Tianbao, Qianfu Temple was built, which took four years to complete. In Qianfu Temple, it is of special significance in the history of Buddhism to write the golden eye of fire and the precepts of bodhisattva for the emperor and ordinary people every year. This tablet is a famous work in Yan Zhenqing's early years, and its writing is respectful and sincere, which directly reflects the legacy of the kings of Europe, Henan and Chu, but it has obvious similarities with the writing of the Tang Dynasty, indicating that Yan Zhenqing paid great attention to absorbing nutrition from the folk calligraphy art while learning from the previous calligraphers. The whole article is well-structured, with Wu Si fence between the lines. The stippling is round, dignified and beautiful, as static as moving, and fascinating. He inherited traditional works. Postscript of calligraphy and painting: "This is the most flat and stable book of Lu Gong, and it is also full of charm and vulgar. It is the originator of modern historians. "

4, Magu Xiantan Ji: The full name is "Magu Mountain Xiantan Ji in Nancheng County, Fuzhou in the Tang Dynasty", in regular script. Yan Zhenqing writes, writes and writes books. When Yan Zhenqing was appointed as the secretariat of Fuzhou, his official career was frustrated, so he sometimes asked Zen. I visited Magu Mountain in Nancheng County in April that year and wrote an article about Magu's enlightenment, which is a reflection of my mood at this time. This monument is magnificent and has always been valued by people. It is one of the representative works of Yan Ti, and it is the work of Yan Zhenqing in his sixties. At this time, Yan Zhenqing's regular script style has been improved. Ouyang Xiu's Collection of Ancient Records said: "This monument is steep and tight, especially fine, with fine strokes."

5. Yanbei: The full name of this monument is "The History of the Governor of Langya Prefecture and the Monument for Protecting the Army" written by the Ministry of Secretariat. Yan is Yan Zhenqing's great grandfather. Yan Zhenqing was 7 1 year old when he wrote and published this monument. All his books are silent except The Record of Jigu and The Record of the Stone. Now it is hidden in the forest of steles in Xi 'an. Because this monument has been buried in the soil for a long time, it is intact, and like a new one, it conveys the true colors of Yan Shu with great vigor.

6. Zhongxing Ode: full name of Datang Zhongxing Ode, regular script. Jie Yuan wrote articles and Yan Zhenqing wrote cliffs. 63 years old, now living in Wuxi, Qiyang County, Hunan Province. Yuan Jie was a famous writer in the Tang Dynasty. After he was dismissed from office, he lived in Wuxi, where rocks piled up and stone walls were rugged. Ode to Zhongxing is carved on one of the largest stone walls. This article recorded the Lushan Mountain Rebellion and praised Tang Zhongxing. At this moment, the stone book stands upright and majestic, and the stone is hard. It has been preserved intact for thousands of years. "Lu" praised this cliff stone carving as "the calligraphy is particularly wonderful and the language is quaint" and "Postscript of Guang Chuan Shu" commented: "Grandmaster praised your title, which was precious in the past."

7. Temple Monument: The full name is "Inscription and Preface of Prince Shao Baoyan's Temple where Dr. Gu of Tang Dynasty gave a toast to the minister's son", written by Yan Zhenqing. In July of the first year of Tang Jianzhong (780), a monument was erected in Xi 'an, Shaanxi. Zhao Minghan's "Graphite Seal Carving China" says: "This book is written in the same way as Ode to the East, which is vigorous and straightforward, with a faint pen." Wang Shizhen said: "I tried to comment on Yan's" Monument to the Family Temple "and thought that there was a jade prism in the modern nation. Elegant and dignified, Zhuang Mi is quite beautiful. A real calligrapher is a treasure. "

8. Competing for seats: also known as "On Seats", "Shooting with Guo Servant", cursive. It is a letter manuscript of Yan Zhenqing and Guo Yingzhi in the second year of Tang Guangde (764). In the Song Dynasty, it was once owned by a stone man in Chang 'an, who regarded it as a stone. This stone is now in the forest of steles in Xi, Shaanxi, and the ink has not been handed down. Su Shi once saw the original work in Anyi and praised it: "This is even stranger than publishing other books. Trustworthy, self-written, and gesture. " This post is Yan Zhenqing's fine cursive script. Throughout the calligraphy, the characters are consistent, and the tiger is powerful. This manuscript was written by Yan Zhenqing because he was dissatisfied with the arrogance of power traitors. Therefore, he is full of momentum, strong and open-minded, and there is a sense of loyalty between the lines, which shows Yan Zhenqing's upright and honest character. It has been more than a thousand years, and it is awe-inspiring to read. This post was originally a draft, and the author meditated between words, regardless of pen and ink, but it became a masterpiece in the history of calligraphy. Later generations called this post and Preface to Lanting as "two treasures".

9. Self-written post: regular script. Calligraphy is vigorous and rigorous, and the fine print of the title is meticulous and light. Zhan Jingfeng called this book: "Calligraphy Gu Zhuo is vigorous, vigorous and natural." It's just like northerners use horses and southerners use boats. Although it is a sum, it is rich in time, three times. "Dong Qichang said," There are very few people who are curious and unrestrained in this volume. "Between the lines of this post, we can learn about the subtle changes in Yan's font and structure, which is a rare example for future generations to learn regular script.

In addition to his achievements in calligraphy, Yan Zhenqing also studied paleontological fossils. In the sixth year of Tang Daizong Dali (AD 77 1), Yan Zhenqing was appointed as the secretariat of Fuzhou (in today's Jiangxi Province). Once, he saw some snail shell fossils sandwiched in the stratum near an ancient altar in Magu Mountain, Nancheng County. He studied this phenomenon carefully and put forward his argument: here used to be an ocean, but later it became land, and those fossils are evidence. For this reason, he wrote a paper "Fuzhou Chengnan Ma Gushan Fairy Altar" and carved it on a stone-of course, later generations often only admire Gong Yan's calligraphy, which is called "the second book in the world".