嘉庆十四年（1809）进士，官大理寺卿。生平应酬书，时有不经意处，惟署跋金石，钩稽真赝，手题掌录，恒矜庄研究，不肯率意下笔，独得晋唐无诤三昧。或以泥金尽书每册余纸，凝厚婀娜，并露毫端。与林则徐、梁章钜同为闽人，而书绝相似。兼工兰竹。著芳坚馆题跋、增默庵遗集。卒年四十八。《瓯钵罗室书画过目考、金石家书画集小传、海上墨林、清朝书画家笔录、谢堃书画见闻录、龚显曾芳坚馆题跋敍录、福建画人传》

 在清代，书法前期因帖学馆阁之风行，崇赵学董盛极一时。但时有“文字狱”，使学者噤若寒蝉，很多人改行致力于金石考据，至嘉庆之始帖学衰微。郭尚先书法成就在这种情况下出现，他不仅书法精妙，书评理论也很有深度。 在书法艺术上，他在当世负有盛名。清龚显曾在《书林藻鉴》中评云：“兰石先生以工八法，名嘉道间，作字甫脱手，辄为人持去，片缣寸楷，咸拱璧珍之。书法娟秀逸宕，直入敬客《砖塔铭》之室，行书嗣体平原（真卿）《论坐帖》，中年以后，几与董思翁方驾驱。”《清史·本传》也云：“兰石工书法，尝为仁宗（嘉庆）所赏识。”康有为在政治上是个叱咤风云的人物，在书法上也堪称大手笔。他喜臧否他人，但在《广艺舟双辑》中写道：“嘉道之间，以赵吴兴软弱，兼重欧阳信本。故道光季世，郭兰石、张翰凤二家，大盛于时，名流书体相似。其实郭张二家，方板缓弱，绝无剑戟森森之气，彼于书道未窥堂户，然而风流扇荡，名重一时，盖便于摺策之体也。”康有为之评语对郭氏颇有求全之意，但实为褒多于贬。

在书论上，郭尚先给后代人留有一部极为价值的《芳坚馆题跋》。这部书评多采用点评的方式，针对某书家或作品给予品藻，阐述自己的品评观点。有的仅用二三句就品活了要点。他主张书法崇古谈，他评《子游残碑》“结体在《韩敕》、《郑固》之间，东京初年书类如是，观其古谈，足正魏晋以后矫强之失”；又云：“此书纵横跳掷，一洗唐人方整习气，唯未平淡，稍佻耳。” 郭尚先认为《礼器碑》书法为“汉隶第一，超迈雍雅，若卿云在空，在《史晨》、《乙瑛》、《孔庙》之上。”评唐高宗《景龙观钟铭》书法“气象雍穆”。 郭尚先对魏晋以来书法持推崇观点。

对前人所集王羲之书法，各人评价不一，他在评大雅集王羲之书法成《吴文碑》书法时认为：“怀仁集书于千古绝作，其病在字体衔接太紧，不得纵吝，故香光疑为怀仁自运。盖匀圆整洁止是唐人法，晋人无是也。此碑神观自不及怀仁，而分行稍疏转觉古穆。”对此碑与怀仁集是有区别，这是很有见解的。 郭尚先眼光敏锐，评书时常常恰到点处。评苏灵芝时他指出：“苏灵芝书盖出自薛嗣通，法备而韵不足。”说唐代李阳冰书法好在“其变动飞腾随手取势”；评张从申的《改修季子庙碑》书法是“侧锋取势，渐近自然”，“温夫则鼓劲为力，为时代为之也”，又说唐人无圆锋，唯此碑是侧锋取态。” >郭尚先很推崇柳公权的书法，他指出：“柳书香光服其下笔古涩，此非深于此事者不知。好之者以为开朗，病之者以为支离，皆皮相也。《冯宿》、《苻□》二碑字较少于《大达和尚碑》，而魄力雄浑一同，此时何等神力”。明人评说裴休的书法胜过柳公权，郭尚先不服气，他认为裴休书法以整洁为胜，柳公权以圆劲古淡为主，裴休是永远超不过柳公权。足见他评书法以书法艺术本体为主，不以人品而轻易否定书艺。

王铎先是明朝大臣，后为清代臣子，一个“贰臣传”使他声名扫地，但郭尚先独具慧眼，致力张扬。他十分重视王铎书法，可以说是最早肯定王铎书法的人。他说：“观《拟山园帖》，乃知孟津（王铎）相国于古玩法耽玩之功，亦自不少，其诣力与祝希指（枝山）正同。”他又评说：“京居数载，频见孟津相国书，此卷合作（佳作），苍郁雄畅，兼有双井、天中（皆天下奇观）之胜。亦所遇之时，有以发之，晚岁雍容、转作缠绕掩抑之状，无此风力矣。”他肯定了王铎的书法艺术，又批评王的晚年书法不如早年书法。其原因是晚年的王铎既没有黄道周、倪云路那样杀身成仁，为国损躯的气概，又没有傅山那样“补天乏术、出世无门”的心情。王铎的这种悲哀失意，忧郁病苦倾泻在书法上，便失去了中年王锋的血气。此品评堪力，切中要点。王铎书法首受郭尚先品评而身后倍增声望。 

傅山是个医生，也是个孤臣孽子，他誓死不食清禄，其书法是狂草重性情，强调气势。郭评云：“先生学问志节，为国初第一流人物，世争重其分隶，然行草生气郁勃，更为殊观。尝见其论书一帖，老董止是一个秀字，知先生于书未尝不自负，特不欲以自名耳。”清刘墉被人称为“浓墨宰相”，其书法以浓墨大笔为主，粗重而丰肥。郭也评云：“晋唐元明诸士　除力全是个静字，须知纯清，大非容易，国朝作者相望，能副是语者，只有石庵（墉）先生”。此评语虽难免夸饰，但也有可取之见解。

郭尚先书法作品

 Guo Shangxian (AD 1785-1832), the character yuan Kai, No. Lan Shi, from Putian, Fujian Province. In the fourteenth year of Jiaqing (1809), he was a Jinshi, and successively served as the examiner of the township examination, the editor of the National History Museum, the academic manager of the wenyuange, the academic administrator of Sichuan, Zuo zanshan, and the Minister of Guanglu temple. In the spring of the 12th year of Daoguang (1832 A.D.), the Minister of Dali temple and the right servant of the Ministry of rites were authorized by imperial edict to study the official examination. Guo Shangxian had learned a lot and wrote a lot. As a result, people from Korea and Japan were scrambling to buy his calligraphy with heavy money. He is also good at painting, especially in blue and stone. His seal cutting is simple and honest, and his law is precise and strict, which is known as "the room of the Han people". His works are also abundant. In addition to the two volumes of "seal of Fangjian hall", there are also "Jin Fengwen", "Jingyan handout", "zengme'an anthology", "zengme'an poetry collection", "the inscription and postscript of Fangjian hall", "the diary of Shushi", etc.

Jiaqing 14 years (1809) Jinshi, official Dali Temple Qing. In his life, there are some casual places in the book of entertainment, but the book is composed of postscript of gold and stone, cross check of true and false, hand inscribed record of palm, research of hengjinzhuang, unwilling to write at will, which is unique in the three samadhi of Jin and Tang Dynasties. Or to make every book of paper, thick and graceful, and exposed. Lin Zexu and Liang Zhangju are both Fujian people, but the books are very similar. Part time blue bamboo. The collection of inscriptions and postscripts of Fangjian hall and zengme temple. The year of death is forty-eight. "Ouboluoshi calligraphy and painting review, Jinshi family calligraphy and painting collection biography, marine ink forest, Qing Dynasty Calligrapher's record, Xie Kun's calligraphy and painting experience record, Gong Xian Zeng Fangjian museum's postscript record, Fujian painter biography"

In the early Qing Dynasty, because of the popularity of calligraphy, the school of Zhao and Dong flourished. However, there was a "literary prison" at that time, which made scholars shudder and shiver. Many people changed their careers and devoted themselves to the textual research of Jinshi, until the beginning of Jiaqing. Guo Shangxian's calligraphy achievement appears in this situation. He not only has excellent calligraphy, but also has deep theory of book review. In the art of calligraphy, he is famous in the world. Gong Xian of the Qing Dynasty once commented in the book, forest and algae review: "Mr. Lanshi used the eight methods of work to make the characters of the famous and the virtuous. He was easy to be held by others. The pieces of the characters were inch by inch, and the salty arches were Bi Zhen. The calligraphy is elegant and leisurely. It goes directly to the room of brick tower inscription, where the running script inherits the style of plain (Zhenqing) and discusses sitting calligraphy. After middle age, it is driven by Dong siweng "The history of the Qing Dynasty, this biography" also said: "blue stone calligraphy, taste for Renzong (Jiaqing) appreciate." Kang Youwei is a powerful figure in politics and a great writer in calligraphy. He likes Zang or not, but in the double series of guangyizhou, he wrote: "between Jiadao and Jiadao, Zhao Wuxing was weak and attached great importance to Ouyang Xinben. Therefore, guolanshi and zhanghanfeng, two famous families in the Guangji era of Daoguang, were very popular at that time. As a matter of fact, the Guozhang family has a weak square, which is not as powerful as a sword or a halberd. They don't look at the Tang family in the book path. However, they are famous for their romantic fans, which are easy to fold. " Kang Youwei's comments are quite comprehensive to Guo's, but in fact, they are more favorable than derogatory.

In terms of book theory, Guo Shangxian left a very valuable inscription and postscript of Fangjian hall for future generations. This book review mostly adopts the way of comment, aiming at a certain calligrapher or work to give pinzao, expounding his own comment point of view. Some just use two or three sentences to live. He advocated the worship of ancient Chinese calligraphy. He commented on the "stone tablet of Ziyou" that "the style is between Hanchi and Zhenggu. In the early years of Tokyo, if you look at the ancient Chinese calligraphy, it will be enough to correct the loss of strengthening after the Wei and Jin Dynasties"; he said: "this book is crisscross and crisscross, washing the whole habits of the Tang people, but it is not plain and a little flirtatious." Guo Shangxian thought that the calligraphy of ritual stele was "the first in Hanli, the most elegant, if Qing Yun is in the sky, it is above Shichen, Yiying and Confucius Temple." Comment on the calligraphy "weather yongmu" in jinglongguan Zhongming by Gaozong of Tang Dynasty. Guo Shangxian holds a high opinion on calligraphy since Wei and Jin Dynasties.

There are different opinions on Wang Xizhi's calligraphy collected by predecessors. When he commented on Wang Xizhi's calligraphy, he thought: "Huairen collects books that have never been written in ancient times, and its fault lies in the tight connection of fonts, so it is not allowed to be stingy. Therefore, Xiangguang is suspected to be Huairen's self transportation. Even and neat lid is the method of the Tang Dynasty, and there is nothing in Jin Dynasty. The view of God on this stele is not as good as Huairen's, but the branch is a little sparse and feels ancient. " There is a difference between this stele and huairenji, which is very insightful. Guo Shangxian has a keen eye, and he is often just at the right place when he reviews books. When commenting on Su Lingzhi, he pointed out that "the cover of Su Lingzhi's book comes from Xue Sitong, and the method of preparation is insufficient." It is said that Li Yangbing's calligraphy in the Tang Dynasty was good at "taking the power with the changes; it was commented that Zhang congshen ' >Guo Shangxian praised Liu Gongquan's calligraphy very much. He pointed out that "Liu Shuxiang and his writing style are ancient and astringent, which is not known to those who know it. Those who are good think that they are cheerful, those who are ill think that they are detached, and they all look like skin. Feng Su and Fu □are less than Da Da monk's stele, but they are brave and powerful together. What a magic power they are now. People in the Ming Dynasty said Pei Xiu's calligraphy was superior to Liu Gongquan. Guo Shangxian was not convinced. He thought Pei Xiu's calligraphy was superior to Liu Gongquan in terms of neatness. Liu Gongquan was mainly round, vigorous, ancient and light. Pei Xiu could never surpass Liu Gongquan. It can be seen that his method of judging calligraphy is mainly based on the noumenon of calligraphy art, which is not easily negated by human character.