剛菴 宋成鏞은 先考 裕齋선생의 ‘舊體新用論’을 평생 견지하고 ‘藝道合一’을 실천한 선비이자 서예가이다. 그는 부친 유재선생의 훈도 아래 20대 초반까지 歐陽詢의 해서와 董其昌 행서, 그리고 分隸를 익혔다. 30대 초반에는 金容鎭과 金振宇에게 서예와 墨竹을 배우고 학서의 범위도 金文, 小篆, 漢瓦, 漢隸, 米芾의 행서 등으로 넓혔다. 이 시기에 강암서예는 이미 일정 정도 경지에 올라 있었다. 강암서예는 30대 초반부터 50대 중반에 이르는 사이에 一變하였다. 강암은 40세 중반까지 顔眞卿 해서, 黃庭堅의 해서와 행서, 淸代 제가들의 篆隸, 漢隸를 공부하였다. 특히 안진경의 해서를 통해 장중함을 더하고, 황정견의 用筆을 통해 변화를 구함으로써, 自成一家의 토대를 굳건하게 다졌다. 40대 중반이후 대한민국미술전람회에 출품하여 국전추천작가가 되면서 자신의 서예역정에 轉換期를 맞이하였다. 국전출품에 이미 자신의 서체가 일정 정도 형성되어 있었다. 강암서예는 50대 중반이후 개화하기 시작하였고 60대 중반이후에는 만개하였다. 전서는 청대 전서와 국전출품 시기에 수용한 孫在馨 서풍을 참고하고 金文을 응용하였다. 예서는 東漢의 諸碑들과 청대 예서을 참고하고 추사의 예서를 응용하여 雄渾, 蒼古함을 더하였다. 해서는 晉唐의 古法을 바탕으로 전예의 자형과 필획을 응용하여 자신만의 독특한 서풍을 이루었다. 행초는 동기창, 미불, 황정견, 소식, 손재형 등의 서풍이 어우러져 있는데, 예서의 필획을 행서에 섞어 쓰는가 하면, 中鋒과 側筆, 偏鋒을 가리지 않고 自在로 구사하였다. 60대 중반 이후에는 자신의 서체를 마음껏 펼쳐내는 가운데 끊임없는 변화와 창신을 추구하였다. 그리하여 行草와 大楷, 小楷에서 자기 면모를 일신하고, 이전의 학서 자료를 다시 돌아보는 동시에 새로운 자료를 통해 자신의 서예세계를 확장하는 등 초학의 자세를 끝까지 잃지 않았다.
Gang-am(剛菴) Song Seongryong was a classical scholar and calligrapher who had sticked to ‘the theory of applying the lessons from the old on the new’ and had practiced ‘the unity of art and the Way’. Under the discipline of his father, Yujae(裕齋), he had learned OuyangXun(歐陽詢)’s regular script, DongQichang(董其昌)’s semi-cursive script and clerical script until his early 20’s. The range of his studies had been expanded to bronze script, small seal script, roof tile script, clerical script from Han dynasty, and MiFei(米芾)’s semi-cursive script since he learned calligraphy and bamboo paintings from Gim Jinyong(金容鎭) and Gim Jinu(金振宇) in his early 30’s. In this period, his calligraphy had been reached a significant level, and it had changed since his early 30’s until his mid-50’s. Gang-am had learned YanQiqing(顔眞卿)’s regular script, HuangTingjian(黃庭堅)’s regular script and semi-cursive script, seal script and clerical script of calligraphers from Qing dynasty until his mid-40’s. He attained the solemnity from YanQiqing(顔眞卿)’s regular script and pursued the changes from HuangTingjian(黃庭堅)’s law of wielding brush, so he formed the basis to establish a school of his own. In his mid-40’s, he faced a turning point in his calligraphy as he became a recommended calligrapher of National Art Exhibition. His own style of calligraphy was already formed when he submitted for the exhibition. Gang-am’s calligraphy had started blooming in his mid-50’s and had been in full bloom in his mid-60’s. In seal script, he accepted the seal script of Qing and Sonjaehyeong(孫在馨)’s style of calligraphy and applied bronze script. In clerical script, he referred the stele of DongHan and the clerical script of Qing, and he attained sublimity and antiquity by applying Chusa’s clerical script. In regular script, he established his own style by applying the shapes and the strokes of seal script and clerical script based on the old law of Jin(晉) and Tang(唐). In semi-cursive script and cursive script, he accepted the styles of DongQichang, MiFei, HuangTingjian, SuShi and Son Jaehyeong. He used the strokes of clerical script when he wrote semi-cursive script and had a good command of Zhongfeng(中鋒), Cebi(側筆) and Pianfeng(偏鋒). Since his mid-60’s, he had consistently pursued change and creativity, so he had refreshed his calligraphy in semi-cursive script, big regular script and small regular script. He had maintained his original intention by reviewing the previous materials of studying calligraphy and by expanding the world of his calligraphy through the new materials.