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Gujin shuren youlie ping 古今書人優劣評

Sep 2, 2024 © Ulrich Theobald

Gujin shuren youlie ping 古今書人優劣評, also called Shuping 書評, is an evaluation of calligraphers believed to have been written by Xiao Yan 蕭衍, who was Emperor Wu 梁武帝 (r. 502-549) of the Liang dynasty 梁 (502-557). However, Yuan Ang 袁昂 (461–450) also wrote a book with the title Shuping 書評, and it is improbable that Yuan might have dared to use the title of a sovereign's book. Zhu Changwen 朱長文 (1039–1098) therefore assumed that Xiao Yan simply copied Yuan Ang's book.

The quality of the critique is, nonetheless, very high, and influenced later opinions of the art of early calligraphy. The works of 22 (32 or 37, depending on the version) artists are evaluated.

The text is found in the series Shuofu 説郛, Wuchao xiaoshuo 五朝小説 and Lidai shufa lunwen xuan 歷代書法論文選 and is quoted in the books Mochibian 墨池編 and Shuyuan jinghua 書苑菁華.

Sources:
Zhang Qianchao 張潛超. 1996. "Gujin shuren youlie ping 古今書人優劣評.". In Zhongguo xueshu mingzhu tiyao 中國學術名著提要, vol. Yishu 藝術卷, edited by Zhou Gucheng 周谷城, 414. Shanghai: Fudan daxue chubanshe.
Zhao Zhongfu 趙忠富. 2023. "Yi ren wei yu yu Zhongguo shufa piping: Yi Xiao Yan Gujin shuren youlie ping wei zhongxin 以人為喻與中國書法批評——以蕭衍《古今書人優劣評》為中心." Shufa 書法 2023 (9): 153-155.