Many people say that writing big characters in Ou Kai is not good-looking. What is the reason?

First of all, let's get rid of a misunderstanding about the concepts of small characters and big characters.

Some people think that writing small characters is big characters, and writing small characters is small characters. This is not right. Because the method of writing small characters is completely different from that of writing large characters, not by the size of the characters.

For example, in the example I mentioned above, he usually studies European style, and we know that European style is not suitable for writing big characters. This guy thinks that writing big is big, and the result is the kind of result mentioned above-the Spring Festival couplets written are not atmospheric, and they are searched and searched.

But if he had studied Yan Ti, this would not have happened. The face says, majestic and atmospheric. It can be seen that Yan style is suitable for writing big characters, but European style is not suitable.

Regular script in Yan style, the font is heavy and atmospheric.

Why can Yan style characters write big characters, but European style characters can't? The secret lies in their different calligraphy structures.

There is a very important saying in the theory of calligraphy structure, that is, "draw tight knots obliquely and draw wide knots horizontally." Yan Ti can write big characters because European Ti can't. The secret is in these eight words.

"Oblique painting tight knot" means that the painting is a little oblique, and the structure of calligraphy will have a compact center; "Flat painting and wide knot" means that after painting is flat, the center of calligraphy structure is loose, but the whole word will not be loose.

When writing small characters, we hope that there is a compact center in the structure of calligraphy, so that the written words are full of vitality; When writing big characters, we hope that the calligraphy structure is loose, so as to reflect the atmosphere.

Tilt the picture, and you will feel tight left and loose right.

Wang Xizhi said in "Twelve Chapters of Gestures" that "big characters promote small, and small characters are big". This is actually talking about a calligraphy structure problem. Small print is easy to be stingy and "generous" when written concisely because of its few strokes.

Note that this refers to the "width" of the calligraphy structure, not to widening the font. The "width" of calligraphy structure means that the calligraphy structure is slightly loose and there is no obvious compact center.

Yan Tizi has this characteristic, especially in Yan Zhenqing's later calligraphy works. You can't see that this kind of character has an obvious compact center and loose center, but the whole character will not be loose, which embodies the calligraphy structure characteristics of "flat painting and wide knot" (atmosphere) and is very suitable for writing big characters.

Yan stippling is relatively flat, and flat painting is broad and atmospheric.

In European style, you will obviously feel the "tight in the middle palace", which embodies the calligraphy structure characteristics of "oblique painting tight knot". This calligraphy structure is very spiritual for writing small characters, but it will be stingy for writing big characters.