Background
One day, while writing calligraphy with his friend under the tree, the young Liu Gongquan showed his work to an old tofu seller who was passing by. He asked the old man: “How do you find my writing?”
The old man replied: ”These works look like my tofu, soft and capricious, without any strength.”
Liu Gongquan was not convinced. He wanted the old man to show him his own writing. The old man said: “I’m not good at writing , but there is someone who can write better than you with his leg.”
The next day Gongquan saw a big sign “ Calligraphy and Painting” hanging from a big tree in the north street near the city gate. Many people crowded below the tree to admire how an old, armless man wrote couplets with his left leg. His calligraphy was beautiful and strong earning much applause from the people who had gathered around him. The impressed and shameful Liu Gongquan asked the man for his secret of success. The old man answered: “Finish 8 vats of, dye a pond black, and learn from the strong points of others. ” Liu Gongquan was inspired and began to work on his calligraphy.
Liu Gongquan first studied the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi and later studied the works of Ouyang Xun and Yan Zhenqing. After a long period of practicing, he produced his own unique writing style which was recognized as ‘liu style”. His style blended the square features of Ouang Xun’s work with the roundness of the Yan style. Calligraphic work had vigorous structures and forceful strokes. The characters were open and clear, steady and firm. His calligraphy was often called “muscle of Yan and bone of Liu”.
Liu Gongquan’s calligraphy was characterized by neat and graceful strikes, with strength and tightness in structure. Such characteristics were believed to be closely related to Liu’s own integrity, aesthetic sentiments and profound learning. His calligraphic achievements were a result of years of practice and commitment.