Wang Xizhi (, 303β361) was a
Chinese calligrapher, traditionally referred to as the
Sage of Calligraphy (ζΈθ), who lived during the
Jin Dynasty . He is considered by many to be one of the most esteemed Chinese calligraphers of all time, especially during and after the
Tang Dynasty, and a master of all forms of Chinese calligraphy, especially the
running script.
The
Emperor Taizong admired his works so much that the original
Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion was said to be buried with the emperor in his
mausoleum.
In addition to the esteem in which he is held in China, he has been and remains influential in
Japanese calligraphy.
Biography
Born in
Linyi, Shandong, Wang spent most of his life in present-day
Shaoxing, Zhejiang. He learned the art of calligraphy from Lady
Wei Shuo. He excelled in every script but particularly in
semi-cursive script. Unfortunately, none of his original works remains today.His most famous work is the
Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion, the introduction to a collection of poems written by a number of poets during a gathering at Lanting near the town of Shaoxing for the
Spring Purification Festival. The original is lost, but there are a number of finely traced copies and rubbings in existence.
Wang Xizhi is particularly remembered for one of his hobbies, that of rearing
geese. Legend has it that he learned that the key to how to turn his wrist whilst writing was to observe how geese moved their necks. There...
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