古章草书与《出师颂》

章草书,广义而言是汉代通行的隶书草写法;狭义而言是在隶草的基础上进而规范化的一种专门书体。章草书盛行于东汉末期,历经魏晋时代而渐成衰势,隋唐以后罕有书者。故宫博物院新近征得的原藏清宫并著录于《石渠宝笈》的隋人书《出师颂》恰恰弥补了章草书发展末期的历史空缺。本文简述章草书之由来以及古代章草书家的简况,以便读者从中了解隋人书《出师颂》的历史和艺术价值。

Ancient Zhangcao Style Calligraphy and Chu Shi Song

Zhangcao calligraphy in its broadest sense was the popular form of writing lishu (clerical style) in a cursive hand (caoxie) in the Han dynasty. In its narrow sense, zhangcao was a particular style of calligraphy formulated on the basis of li - cao ("clerical cursive"). Although popular in the Eastern Han dynasty, it gradually fell into decline in the Wei - Jin period and following the Sui - Tang period it had very few practitioners. The recently acquired Sui dynasty version of Chu Shi Song in zhangcao calligraphy which was originally included in the catalogue of the imperial collection titled Shiqu baoji happens to fill a gap in the history of the development of this style of calligraphy. This article discusses the origins of zhangcao calligraphy and introduces ancient calligraphers who worked in this style, enabling readers to understand the historical and artistic significance of Chu Shi Song.