Su Shi, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fu, Cai Xiang are said to be the best representatives of calligraphic achievements of the Song Dynasty, and are known as the "Four Best Calligraphers of the Song Dynasty."
Su Shi
Su Shi was born in Meishan of present-daySichuan Province, with the style name Zi Zhan and sobriquet of Dongpo Jiushi. He was a famous writer, calligrapher and painter. With his father Su Xun and his younger brother Su Zhe, the "Three Sus" were quite famous in literary circles.
Su Shi was famous as a young man for his massive talents and vast historical knowledge. In 1057, he passed theImperial Examinationas a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial civil service examination, also known as palace graduate) and once served in various government posts, such as minister and imperial scholar, fully demonstrating his preeminent talents for poetry, prose,calligraphyand painting. However, his official career was one full of ups and downs, with demotions and with several occurrences of expatriations. When he was sent to present-dayHainan Province, Su adopted an aloof attitude and began to lead a peaceful life, indulging in reading, writing and painting. In 1100, with the ascending of Emperor Huizong, he was finally readmitted and called back to the north, but died a year later.
Su was an expert in running andregular scripts. Having absorbed the best of calligraphers such as Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi, Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, and Chu Suiliang, he made innovations on the basis of his deep understanding of his predecessors instead of purely imitating them. His calligraphy featured smooth strokes with a natural flair. He developed his own way of wielding a brush, and emphasized the reform of writing tools.
His famous calligraphic works that were passed down include Calligraphy on Red Cliff, Poems written in Huangzhou on Cold-Food Festival, and so on.
Huang Tingjian
With a style name of HuangLuzhior Huang Shangu, Huang Tingzhi was a native of present-day Xiushui County ofJiangxi Province. Huang was a student of Su Shi, and was one of Su's "four best students." He was often placed on a par with his teacher, and the two were often referred to as "Su Huang."
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