王镛，号凸斋、鼎楼主人，今书坛重镇。其艺如劲风入世，振颓然之气，为沉寂之书界注生机。承古法，启新风，隶书与砖文相融，遂成一派书法之域，风行于世。此风，传承古韵，兼具今意，起于书坛，激荡四方。
王公少时即与书画结缘，习晋唐楷法，临画随意，笔意潇洒，无名师点拨，然心手相应，所画皆形似。年少崇白石，父携观齐白石、徐悲鸿、黄宾虹遗作展，兴起刻印，技痴日深，常至夜半方歇。甲午岁，年十四，入北京少年宫金石书法组，作品入选“首都书法篆刻展”，初显锋芒。未几，文革风起，王公入内蒙插队。六年蛮荒，虽历艰苦，然于远离尘俗处，心志自觉，意识觉醒。返京后为中学美术教师，复奋力求艺，尤欲探个性风格之路。
王镛少涉篆道，中年复寻，郁积化艺，志在超越陈规。初不循常法，勇谋新意，行至半途，方悟篆刻精髓贵于“古”。古者，高致之境，雅拙自存，弗逐俗流。己未，中央美院招生，李可染、李苦禅开坛，王镛凭学识卓然自修而入，非科班，然以深蕴文化得师青睐。李先生之艺道德行，叶浅予之孤高真诚，俱为所折服。或问：“李可染非篆家，何故从之?”王镛常引韩子言，以道为重，技次之。李师讲授，每超技法，言艺道本源，授人以远。卒业后，数为李师治印，承蒙深益，篆艺大进。副师梁树年，淡泊深沉，篆功精绝，教诲无多而意深，镛常铭记。
篆刻不唯书出，需融诸艺，书法与艺道共冶方可成大器。早年亦曾拘形似，后觉形下不达形上，篆当从心。观瓦当封泥，知文字变形之妙，于是触发思悟。刻印，讲究理与情，刀起审慎，刀落随心，避流于匠气。理情并融，遂成自家之风。昔以“能婴儿”“吐真气”印惊世，然心守艺道不改，求进而不骄，防僵而常新。
入中央美术学院后，王公渐定方向，知艺术必孤独孕育。历年磨砺，艺路方见卓然。书法、绘画、篆刻三者皆臻妙境，成当代艺坛翘楚。王公书法苍古雄浑，汲六朝碑版之质，含汉魏简牍之韵，时有现代气象。其笔力纵横，软硬并用，满幅气象，功力深蕴。篆刻则苍润奔放，古拙奇崛，融汉晋砖瓦文字、秦汉古印神韵，自成一格，气势恢弘，与书风相应。王公书篆之厚底，又为山水画创作奠基。以书入画，点线有书写之意，画中金石气息，苍厚质朴，线条凝练。其山水，尤见心性流露，骨力与金石韵味合一，写意自见。
王镛通诗、书、画、印，四艺皆有大成。然其书风双面，正负并存。世人多言其开“丑书”之风，且负面之影响远甚于正面，毁誉参半。观其作品，风格难以定论，汇篆、隶、楷、行、草于一体，杂而不专。历代书家，皆追稚拙、朴拙、率直，然王镛每于碑铭之作，显汉魏风骨，尤为学者推崇。傅雷曾论汉魏书风：“汉魏之人，心灵相近，气味浑厚，雄浑浩瀚，历久弥新。”王镛之书，正是质朴率直，承汉魏之遗风。此皆得自其对书道之深悟，运笔洒脱，自成一家。
然世称其“丑书”，此说虽难定，然其于大众书法倾尽心力，奔走呼号，固有正面之功，亦有人谓其哗众取宠，求博俗目。大众对此反感渐增，其声名亦随之大受影响。
Wang Yong: Immersed in the Sea of Ink, Detached from Public Judgment
Wang Yong, also known as Tuzhai and Dinglouzhuren, is a towering figure in today’s calligraphy world. His art, like a powerful wind, revitalized the stagnant atmosphere of the calligraphy field, infusing it with new energy. He blends ancient methods with modern styles, integrating clerical script and brick inscriptions, thereby creating his own unique domain of calligraphy, which has gained widespread popularity. This style, while rooted in ancient charm, carries modern sensibilities, stirring waves across the art world.
From a young age, Wang developed an affinity for painting and calligraphy, practicing the regular script of the Jin and Tang dynasties, with a spontaneous yet graceful brushstroke. Without formal guidance, his works were remarkably lifelike. Admiring Qi Baishi in his youth, he was taken by his father to view the works of Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong, and Huang Binhong. This ignited his passion for seal carving, a craft he pursued tirelessly, often working late into the night. At the age of fourteen (1902 in the lunar calendar), he joined the calligraphy and seal carving group at the Beijing Children's Palace, where his works were selected for the "Capital Calligraphy and Seal Carving Exhibition," marking his initial rise to prominence. Shortly after, during the Cultural Revolution, he was sent to Inner Mongolia for six years. Despite the harsh conditions, this period of isolation sharpened his awareness and awakened his creative consciousness. After returning to Beijing, he became an art teacher and redoubled his efforts to refine his artistic style, seeking to forge a distinctive path.
Wang had little involvement with seal carving in his early years but returned to it in middle age. His accumulated frustrations were transformed into artistic pursuit, with a determination to transcend conventional boundaries. Initially unconventional and bold in his innovation, he eventually realized that the essence of seal carving lies in its "ancient" quality. This ancientness refers not to antiquity but to a lofty, refined style, marked by simplicity and ruggedness, untethered by contemporary trends. In the year jiwei (1979 in the lunar calendar), Wang was admitted to the Central Academy of Fine Arts, where masters Li Keran and Li Kuchan were holding court. Though not formally trained, his deep cultural foundation earned him their favor. Wang was deeply impressed by Li Keran's artistic philosophy and moral character, as well as Ye Qianyu's high-minded sincerity. When asked why he studied under Li, who was not a seal carver, Wang often cited Han Yu's teachings, emphasizing that understanding the principles of art takes precedence over technique. Li's teachings rarely dwelled on technical skills, focusing instead on the core principles of art, imparting wisdom that reached far beyond the classroom. After graduation, Wang frequently carved seals for Li Keran, benefiting greatly from his guidance, and his seal carving skills improved significantly. His other mentor, Liang Shunian, though reserved and unassuming, possessed profound expertise in seal carving, offering few but deeply insightful lessons that Wang always cherished.
Seal carving, Wang believed, should not be confined to calligraphy alone but must draw from multiple art forms, with calligraphy and artistic principles merging to achieve greatness. In his early years, he was focused on mere form, but later realized that surface imitation does not capture the essence. Seal carving must come from the heart. Observing ancient brick inscriptions and mud seals, he grasped the transformative power of these characters, inspiring new thoughts in his own work. In carving, he emphasized the balance of reason and emotion—carefully contemplating before the knife touched the stone but allowing spontaneity once the carving began, avoiding the rigid repetition of calligraphy. Through this fusion of thought and emotion, he developed his unique style. His seals, like "Can Become an Infant" and "Expel True Qi," once shocked the world. Yet, his commitment to the essence of art remained steadfast, striving for progress without arrogance and innovation without rigidity.
Upon entering the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Wang gradually solidified his artistic direction, recognizing that true art must be nurtured in solitude. Years of honing his craft eventually led to his distinguished standing in the art world. Wang's calligraphy is ancient and powerful, drawing from the essence of the Six Dynasties steles, imbued with the spirit of Han and Wei dynasty manuscripts, yet occasionally displaying modern touches. His brushwork is vigorous and flexible, blending softness with strength, and each piece brims with energy, revealing his deep mastery. His seal carving is similarly bold and free, exuding ancient ruggedness while blending the spirit of Han and Jin brick inscriptions and Qin and Han dynasty seals, creating a style entirely his own, grand in scale and harmonious with his calligraphy. Wang's deep foundation in calligraphy also laid the groundwork for his landscape painting. His brushstrokes carry the same fluidity and solidity as his writing, and his paintings resonate with a sense of antiquity and simplicity. The lines are concise, and the compositions reveal both personal emotion and the strength of stone and metal.
Wang is proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, and seal carving, excelling in all four. However, his calligraphic style carries both positive and negative connotations, with many claiming he initiated the trend of "ugly calligraphy," and that its negative impact far outweighs the positive. His works defy easy categorization, as they combine seal, clerical, regular, running, and cursive scripts into a hybrid style. Throughout history, calligraphers have sought rustic simplicity and unrefined honesty in their work, and Wang's stone inscriptions often reflect the bone-deep strength of the Han and Wei dynasties, a quality scholars admire. Fu Lei once remarked on the Han and Wei calligraphic style, noting that the people of those times had a shared spirit—rich, powerful, and boundless, enduring through the ages. Wang’s work embodies this straightforward, primitive quality, a testament to his profound understanding of calligraphy and his fluid, uninhibited brushwork, which has become his signature.
Despite being labeled the progenitor of "ugly calligraphy," a label difficult to define, Wang has poured his heart and soul into popularizing calligraphy, advocating tirelessly for its appreciation. While this has had some positive effects, many criticize his efforts as pandering to public tastes, seeking attention through sensationalism. As a result, public dissatisfaction with his style has grown, and his reputation has suffered considerably.
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