Deng Shiru (1743-1805) in the middle of the Qing Dynasty was a period of drastic change in the history of Chinese calligraphy. The rise of stele studies impacted and changed the weak trend of the dominance of calligraphy in the early Qing Dynasty, and the calligraphy world showed a prosperous scene of strange postures. At this time, there were many calligraphers who advocated stele studies, but it was Deng Shiru who became a practical example of stele studies. His appearance marks the maturity of the stele school using brushes to write the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties steles and even the Han steles on rice paper. Steleology has created its own stele style through extensive absorption of traditional nutrition and integration.
Deng Shiru, a native of Huaining, Anhui, was originally named Yan, with the word Shiru, the title of stubborn uncle, and was from Wanbai Mountain. Because he avoided the name of Renzong in Qing Dynasty, he used the word. He was born in the door of the poor, his ancestors' "hidden virtue but not dazzling" character, "learning and solid" academics, and unruly personality have subtly contributed to his growth. Around the age of 20, he began a lifelong journey, wandering around the rivers and lakes, looking for teachers and friends everywhere. His whole life, accompanied by hard work and self-motivation, almost all of his life content devoted to art is the word "communicating". Do not seek knowledge, do not admire glory, do not be moved by foreign objects, do not enter official careers, and always maintain the true colors of common clothes. This is a pure artist's own way of life, free and easy.
At that time, people spoke highly of Deng Shiru's calligraphy, saying that "all the four bodies are fine, and the country is the first". His calligraphy is the most outstanding in seal script, and the achievement of seal script lies in Xiaozhuan. His Xiao Zhuan took Si and Bing as his teachers. The body was slightly longer, but he creatively blended the official script brushwork. He boldly used the long front to soften the strokes and lift the ups and downs, which greatly enriched the use of seal scripts, especially the seal scripts of his later years. , The lines are round and thick, vigorous and vast, reaching the realm of transformation, creating a typical seal script of the Qing Dynasty, and making an immortal contribution to the development of the art of seal script. The official script has benefited a lot from the long-term practice of immersing in the Han stele. It is able to write the official script in seal intent and is complemented by the strength of the Wei stele, and its style is naturally unique. The regular script did not start with Tang Kai, but traced its origins, directly took the Wei stele, used square brushes, and the strokes were turned to imply the meaning of affiliation. The ancient mao is simple and incompatible with the contemporary pavilions, showing a spirit of courage to explore. In comparison, his cursive script is not as profound as the seal li script. This is the opinion of most people, so I won’t repeat it here. Deng Shiru's seal cutting art is also worthy of a special book. I will stay in the ancient seal cutting and discuss it with you.
"Lianshu Tang Poems in Seal Scripts (《篆书唐诗联句》)" is 116.7 cm high and 34.5 cm wide, collected by the Palace Museum in Beijing.
