Letter to the Duanming Attendant for Reading, Paper, Regular Script, 25.9 x 53.4cm, Collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei
Ouyang Xiu is good at writing regular script. Su Dongpo once commented pertinently on the characteristics of his calligraphy: "Using a sharp pen and dry ink to write square and wide characters, his hair is full of vitality and moisturizing. When later generations look at it, they will see his clear eyes and plump cheeks, and he will become more and more elegant." This passage not only clearly points out Ouyang Xiu's calligraphy features, but also praises his appearance and demeanor. It is really the so-called "the calligraphy is like the person".
This ruler slip, also known as "Shangfa Tie", is a letter written by Ouyang Xiu to Sima Guang in his later years. In this work, in addition to what Mr. Dongpo pointed out: "the character structure is wide and flat, the strokes show sharpness, and there are many strokes", you can also see the characteristics of the strokes such as horizontal thinness, straight thickness, and long strokes. The entire work is carefully written and meticulous in stipples, which fully reflects his character of attaching importance to laws and regulations, and is the greatest feature of his calligraphy.
