Beijing

   Wang Xizhi , also known as the sage calligrapher, born around 307AD is China’s most renowned and celebrated calligrapher. Like many calligraphers and painters throughout Chinese history, Wang was a government official. For some westerners it may seem very strange that the great calligraphers and painters of China, people with cultivated artistic tendencies and passion for creation, were at the same time politicians. It would be even stranger if we would try to imagine Van goch or Sezanne leading soldiers to war or taking part in ruthless political struggles while painting during their free time. Calligraphy is an art form that has been closely associated with political power throughout China's history, it is during the time of Wang Xizhi that calligraphy became closely related with the higher classes of society. Many scholars and members of the aristocracy developed individual styles in calligraphy as a way to distinguish themselves socially. In this sense it is not so much that artists were attracted to politics but the other way around, namely, intellectuals, government officials and members of the elite in general, were expected to possess high skills in calligraphy. In the eyes of the Chinese an ideal government official is a man of exemplary moral conduct and a highly cultivated personality, such a man must be a man of letters and as we all know letters, or characters, are the main business of calligraphy. At the same time calligraphy was closely linked to literature and poetry, giving this form of art special prestige among the people.

Wang Xizhi was most famous for his running style calligraphy (行书), the same style he used for his most celebrated work and probably the most famous masterpiece in the history of calligraphy, the Lan Ting Xu or the Preface to the Orchid Pavillion （click here to see calligraphy).  In this work Wang displays the unique and spontaneous style he is so well known for. This masterpiece has become a model and inspiration for calligraphers since Wang’s days during the six 'southern and northern Dynasty' period all the way to the present. Apart of the beauty and originality of the characters this work displays, the background and environment in which it was created sparked the imagination of later generations and added a romantic and nostalgic aura to this well known historical event. In the year 353 AD, 51 year old Wang, serving as a government official, invited forty two friends to join him at a pastoral location alongside a stream next to a famous pavilion where he served. A poetry contest was held among the participants with music in the background and friends playing drinking games - click here for English translation. The Preface to the Orchard Pavilion is a beautifully written depiction of the events of this special occasion. In this preface Wang Xizhi describes how him and his friends gather together, write songs, drink, play music and enjoy each others company and the beauty of nature. This depiction became the preface to the poems and songs written and collected during this event. This famous gathering soon achieved legendary status and became the theme of different works of art throughout the ages. The style of calligraphy has been admired for its spontaneity, lively rhythm, diversity and its unique use of space. Emperor Taizong of the Tang dynasty (626-649 AD), was an obsessive collector of Wang’s calligraphy and promoted this style throughout the empire. He commissioned professional copyists to do careful reproductions of the works in the imperial collection, unfortunately even in those days, original works of Wang Xizhi were extremely rare and most had to settle for imitations of the real thing, some of the originals were ordered to be buried with emperor Taizong. The Preface to the Orchard Pavilion was named the “First running style calligraphy under heaven” and was the model for copying running style calligraphy since.  Wang’s son, Wang Xianzhi, was also a great calligrapher of this age and for a while his name even surpassed that of his father’s, they are often referred to as “the two Wangs” but eventually Wang Xizhi was established as the undisputable sage. He died around 365 AD after changing the course of calligraphy, bringing it to a new and higher level of refinement.

>Link Partners             >Contact Us      

- The World of Chinese Art (tm) -