Seven Character Couplet in Regular Script《楷书七言联》

Liang Qichao (1873–1929)
Liang Qichao, courtesy name Zhuoru and Renfu, and pseudonym Rengong and Master of the Ice Room, was from Xinhui, Guangdong. In his youth, he, along with his teacher Kang Youwei, advocated for reforms and was one of the leaders of the Reform Movement, known collectively as “Kang Liang.” After the Xinhai Revolution, he briefly joined Yuan Shikai’s government, serving as Minister of Justice. He later criticized Yuan Shikai’s attempt to become emperor and Zhang Xun’s restoration efforts. Liang joined Duan Qirui’s government and supported the May Fourth New Culture Movement. He was a prolific scholar, contributing to philosophy, literature, history, classical studies, law, ethics, and religion, with his works compiled in the “Collected Works of the Ice Room.”

“Seven Character Couplet in Regular Script” (1926)
Liang Qichao’s early calligraphy studies were influenced by Ouyang Xun, later studying under Kang Youwei, following his teacher’s Beixue theory, focusing on Han, Wei, and Six Dynasties inscriptions. He particularly admired the “Stele of Zhang Qian” from the Han dynasty and the “Stele of Zhang Menglong” from the Northern Wei dynasty, balancing their angled structures with even strokes to achieve a harmonious flow. This regular script couplet exemplifies his typical Wei stele style, with steady, confident brushstrokes, balanced square and round forms, and clear distinctions between light and heavy strokes, merging the solidity of stone inscriptions with the elegance of literary forms.

梁启超（1873—1929），字卓如，一字任甫，号任公，别号饮冰室主人，广东新会人。青年时期和老师康有为一起，倡导维新变法，并称“康梁”，是维新派领袖之一。辛亥革命之后，一度入袁世凯政府，担任司法总长，之后对袁世凯称帝、张勋复辟等严词抨击，后加入段祺瑞政府。他支持“五四”新文化运动，于学术研究涉猎广泛，在哲学、文学、史学、经学、法学、伦理学、宗教学等领域均有建树，其著作合编为《饮冰室合集》。

梁启超书法早年研习欧阳询，后从学于康有为，受老师碑学思想影响，宗汉魏六朝碑刻。尤钟爱汉《张迁碑》、北魏《张猛龙碑》，结构上均将两碑的欹侧为平正中和，气息浑穆。此件楷书对联为其魏碑体典型风格，用笔沉着稳健，方圆有度，提按分明，融金石气与书卷气于一体，是其代表性作品。