Influences of Qing-Dynasty Cepigraphy on Chinese Calligraphy
Date Issued
2010
Date
2010
Author(s)
Huang, shi-jin
Abstract
Abstract
Qing-Dynasty calligraphy, starting from Kang Youwei’s collection “The Oars of Quanta Arts”, enshrined the concepts of stelae and model calligraphy. Under Kang’s influences, most preceding studies mark a separation of Chinese calligraphy at the transition of the Jiaqing era and the Daoguang era. The former is known as the Era of Model Calligraphy and the latter as the Era of Stalae Calligraphy. There is a clear and keen distinction between the two. From realistic observations, Huang Tun pioneered the concept of ‘Early Qing-Dynasty Stalae Calligraphy’ in 1989, addressing the prevailing popularity of the seal script and the clerical script during the early ages of the Qing Dynasty. This concept was later developed into a more rounded and completed theory through the continuous researches of other scholars such as Liu Heng, Su Senyu, and Zhou Rui.
In Liuheng’s study of stalae calligraphy, “Chronology of Chinese Calligraphy - Qing Dynasty”, there was an attempt to comprehend the development of middle-late Qing Dynasty calligraphy through studies of cepigraphy, from the Qianlong/Jiaqing periods to the Daoguan/Xianfeng/Tongzhi/Guanxu/Xuantong periods. Numerous similar studies began to emerge, indicating profound influences of cepigraphy on the stalae calligraphy. This discovery has now become a common knowledge between the scholars of calligraphy. However, due to lack of understandings in the essence of it, when elaborating on the actual effect of epigraphy, most scholars find themselves referencing Zhu Jianxin’s “Study of Cepigraphy”, or sampling from various other compositions that are not of prestigious researches. Generally, studies of cepigraphy lack organisation and thorough understanding, making rash suggestions and too quick to conclude a deep connection between Qing Dynasty calligraphy and cepigraphy without proper references. Thus, the study of cepigraphy’s influences on stalae
calligraphy, up until now, remains an assumption, observed through the prevailing conditions of history. The understanding of important discourses, such as how does stalae calligraphy takes from the scientific contents of epigraphy into its creation of artistic forms, remain limited.
In addition, upon evident observations of calligraphy arts, in order to demonstrate the effects of cepigraphy on Qing Dynasty calligraphy, researches tend to make feeble attempts of scattered examples or objective personal opinions without attending to the full spectrum of artistic creation, forgoing subjective opinions and unbiased observations. The author of this paper attempts to comprehend the effects of epigraphy on Qing Dynasty calligraphy through realistic observations and studies on the development of cepigraphy, unveiling the process in which calligraphy borrows from cepigraphy material for artistic creations. Escaping from the lack of organisations and thorough understandings, the author will conduct this study through coherent presentation of the parallel evolutions in both stalae calligraphy and Qing Dynasty epigraphy.
This paper will be the first to utilize in-depth information on epigraphy, allowing for a comprehensive study on the developing of stalae calligraphy in relation with Qing Dynasty calligraphy. The paper will also study the transition of seal and clerical scripts between the Qianlong/Jiaqing periods, explain the renaissance of epigraphical calligraphy, and observe from the post-Daoguan periods in order to provide coherent explanations for misinterpretations from previous scholarly compositions. The development of Qing Dynasty calligraphy will be separated into three divisions, the early-Qing ‘model calligraphy era’, the mid-Qing ‘stalae and model calligraphy era’ to the late-Qing ‘stalae calligraphy era’. And the development of stalae calligraphy will be divided into the ‘incubation era’, the ‘expansion era’ and the ‘developed era’. These divisions of eras will assist in the understanding of calligraphy styles and
developments of Qing Dynasty stalae calligraphy.
In addition, in the research of Bao Shichen’s “The Oars of Arts” and Kang Youwei’s “The Oars of Quanta Arts”, this paper addresses innovative results through the study of epigraphy. Focusing on the theorems of artistic creations from Bao and Kang, without forgoing the principles of beauty and art from their works, this paper thoroughly demonstrates the influence of epigraphical progress in Qing-Dynasty calligraphy and comprehensively references evident observations from various periods of stalae calligraphy.
Subjects
Stelae
Model Calligraphy
calligraphy
Cepigraphy
Bao Shichen
Kang Youwei
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