Related discussions on the art of Chinese calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy is an ancient art, which has developed along with the development of Chinese civilization.
There are only a handful of nations in the world that possess the art of calligraphy. Chinese calligraphy has a long history.
As an artistic creation, calligraphy has profound mysteries. From oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, it evolved into large seal script, small seal script, and official script. In the Eastern Han, Wei, and Jin dynasties, cursive script, regular script, running script, and other styles were basically finalized. Calligraphy always exudes the charm of ancient art. Beloved by generations of people.
Calligraphy is on pure white paper, relying on the flexibility of the brush movement and the richness of ink to leave stains and form meaningful black and white compositions on the paper. Therefore, calligraphy is It constitutes an art; a calligrapher’s pen is an extension of his fingers. The rapidity, slowness, flying and frustration of the pen are all subjectively driven and become the outlet for his emotions and emotions. Therefore, calligraphy is also an expressive art; Calligraphy can quietly reflect the calligrapher's personal life experience, knowledge, cultivation, personality, etc. through his works. Therefore, there is usually a saying that the words are like the person and the calligraphy is the painting of the heart; calligraphy can also be used for inscriptions and plaques, so , is also a practical art. In short, calligraphy is a more comprehensive art and is more inclined to express the subjective spirit. Calligraphy embodies the basic characteristics of Chinese art in a relatively concentrated manner. Just as architecture and sculpture lead other categories of plastic arts in Western art, calligraphy and painting lead other categories of Chinese art, ranking first in Chinese art. When calligraphy and painting are mentioned together, calligraphy is placed in front of painting and is called calligraphy and painting, such as the origin of calligraphy and painting, the relationship between calligraphy and painting, the ability to calligraphy and painting, etc. The relationship between calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting is very close. Especially after the emergence of literati paintings in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the brush used in painting came from calligraphy, and the freehand brushwork of ink and wash was similar to the cursive style of calligraphy. Ancient Chinese sculptures also contain the characteristics of calligraphy. The texture of ancient Chinese sculptures is the combination of lines, and the decorative nature of the shapes maintains an intrinsic connection with the seal script in calligraphy. Ancient Chinese architecture follows the rules of symmetry, balance, and master-slave relationship from the layout to the beam and column structure of the main body. The implicit and borrowed scenery in garden architecture, as well as the ethereal and flying pursuit of pavilions, terraces, buildings, and pavilions are all related to calligraphy. Its structure, composition, rhythm and charm are closely related. As for arts and crafts and folk art, they are also influenced by calligraphy to varying degrees. Calligraphy can be regarded as the soul of Chinese art.
Chinese calligraphy has a long history, and art is always young. In each era, the social environment is different, people's aesthetic appreciation angles are different, and with the development of culture, calligraphy has its own characteristics and is constantly being improved. Browsing the calligraphy of the past dynasties, people in Jin Dynasty advocated Yun, people in Tang Dynasty advocated method, people in Song Dynasty advocated Yi, and people in Yuan and Ming Dynasty advocated attitude. This is an incisive summary:
Jin people admired Yun - the calligraphy of Jin Dynasty is beautiful, graceful and unrestrained. It reflects the leisurely elegance of the scholar-bureaucrat class and reveals a kind of quiet beauty.
The people of the Tang Dynasty admired the law - the calligraphy of the Tang Dynasty was rigorous and majestic, showing the strong national power and the courage to pioneer the spirit of the heyday of feudalism, with the beauty of strength.
Song Dynasty Shang Yi - a calligrapher in the Song Dynasty who was full of ups and downs, calm and joyful. It was precisely in the situation where the country was in trouble but the literary fortune was not declining that the literati were dissatisfied with the reality and used calligraphy to express their ideas and expressions. A state of mind.
Since the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, China's feudal society has stagnated and declined. This is reflected in calligraphy, which advocates imitation of ancient times and is mediocre.
As for the mad rush against popular customs in the calligraphy world in the late Ming Dynasty, and the rise of advocating stone tablets and inscriptions in the late Qing Dynasty, just like the magma rushing underground, the flashing lightning or flint in the night, they reflect a Symptoms of great changes in society. It is true that the picture is hidden in the dark, and the thought lasts for thousands of years.
Tracing the footsteps of the development of calligraphy over three thousand years, we can clearly see that it is in sync with the development of Chinese society and strongly reflects the spiritual outlook of each era. Chinese calligraphy is an artistic treasure that our nation can always be proud of. It has a deep mass base and the characteristics of high art that are unmatched by any art in the world. The art of calligraphy has gradually become popular among the masses and is becoming more and more popular. What is the meaning of calligraphy and its artistic characteristics?
Calligraphy is an art form that combines text with lines. It mainly uses pens and inks, structural compositions, line combinations, etc. to create shapes and express the aesthetic sentiments of the subject.
The basic characteristics of calligraphy art are:
(1) Lines and combinations;
(2) Concreteness and abstraction;
( 3) Emotions and symbols.
Cao Sheng Zhang Xu
Zhang Xu (date of birth and death unknown), named Bogao, was born in Suzhou and once served as a county captain in Changshu. A great calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Known for cursive writing. Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty once issued a rare edict to the whole country: Li Bai's poetry, Zhang Xu's cursive script, and Fei Min's sword dance can become the "three wonders" in the world.
As soon as the edict arrived in Luoyang City, it immediately caused a sensation among the learned people. They all congratulated Zhang Xu and congratulated him on winning the highest award for his outstanding efforts. Zhang Xu bowed his head and thanked them all, and hosted a banquet in honor of Luoyang celebrities. At the banquet, someone suggested that Zhang Xu talk about the secret of perfect cursive writing. Zhang Xu refused and said modestly: "Everyone is laughing at me. I know I am humble. The emperor's reward is well deserved. When it comes to the secret, it is nothing more than this. The word 'careful'"
Zhang Xu pondered for a moment, and he suddenly remembered the poem "Watching Gongsun's disciples dance with swords" written by Du Shaoling, and then said: "Shaoling once said to Gongsun's disciples. Sword Dancer wrote a poem, one of which contains four lines: "It's as fierce as Yi shooting down the sky, and it's as powerful as the dragons flying in the sky; it comes like thunder and collects its wrath, and it ends like the clear light of the river and the sea." I think everyone in Ye County knows this. , I was lucky enough to see Mrs. Gongsun’s dance, and every time I saw it, it aroused my association: she waved her left hand over, and I immediately touched what word this gesture resembled; when he jumped and spun, I thought of the words in cursive script The galloping strokes of "Zhuan" should be like this! His whole dancing posture and sound gave me a comprehensive inspiration for the structure of cursive script."
"Zhang Xu takes off his hat and tops his head in front of the prince. "The brushstrokes fall off the paper like clouds of smoke" - Zhang Xu in Du Fu's works is vividly displayed before our eyes, and his brilliance has always been dazzled by the world.
Zhang Xu, also known as Bogao and Jiming, was born in Wujun (Suzhou, Jiangsu). His first official position was Changshu Wei, and later he became a long official in Jinwu, and was known as "Zhang Changshi". His mother, Lu, was the niece of Lu Jianzhi, a calligrapher in the early Tang Dynasty, and the granddaughter of Yu Shinan. The Lu family passed down their business through books from generation to generation, which is well-known in history. Zhang Xu is free and uninhibited, open-minded, outstanding, talented and knowledgeable. Being friendly with Li Bai and He Zhizhang, Du Fu listed the three of them among the "Eight Immortals in Drinking". He is a very unique cursive calligrapher. Because he often gets drunk, he screams and runs away, and then writes a book. He even writes with his hair dipped in ink, so he is also nicknamed "Zhang Dian". Hou Huaisu inherited and developed his writing style, which was also named after cursive script, and was also called "Dian Zhang Zuisu". Emperor Wenzong of the Tang Dynasty once issued an edict to regard Li Bai's poetry, Pei Min's sword dance, and Zhang Xu's cursive calligraphy as the "three wonders". He also worked in poetry, and together with He Zhizhang, Zhang Ruoxu and Bao Rong, he was known as the "Four Scholars in Wuzhong".
Zhang Xu’s calligraphy was first developed by Zhang Zhi and Er Wang, with his highest achievement in cursive script. He himself is proud to inherit the tradition of the "Two Kings", and his every word is legal. On the other hand, he imitates Zhang Zhi's cursive calligraphy skills and creates wild cursive calligraphy that is free and upright, unpredictable and shocking to the world. According to legend, he saw the princess fighting with the bearer and learned the meaning of calligraphy from the advocacy. When he was in Ye County, Henan, he loved to watch Lady Gongsun dancing with the Xihe sword, and he became the god of cursive calligraphy. Yan Zhenqing resigned from office twice and asked him for advice on penmanship. Zhang Xu is a pure artist. He pours his full emotions into the dot paintings, as if there is no one else around, intoxicated and crazy. Han Yu of the Tang Dynasty praised it in his "Preface to Master Gao Xian": "Happiness, anger, embarrassment, sadness, joy, resentment, longing, drunkenness, boredom, injustice, whatever moves the heart, must be expressed in cursive writing. Looking at things, one can see mountains, rivers, cliffs and valleys, birds, beasts, insects and fish, vegetation and flowers, sun, moon and stars, wind, rain, fire, thunder and thunder, songs, dances and battles, and changes in the world. The joys and surprises are all contained in books, so the book of the rising sun , Changes like ghosts and gods, cannot be traced, and will be famous for future generations for the rest of his life. "This is a true artist." 二⒂NeedlesⅠshake⒀铡⒘?⑺Di dye? Evil? Mantle?ǘzai judged 裎裴珏hui is particularly quiet and gray? The food and tents are flying in time? Huo catfish mechanical copy?
Handwritten calligraphy There are "Tie of Belly Pain", "Four Posts of Ancient Poems", etc.
Chinese calligraphy is a unique art. It is not only a treasure in the cultural heritage of the Chinese nation, but also a wonderful flower in the world's art palace. Chinese calligraphy art not only has a long history and a long history, but also has far-reaching influence. As soon as Chinese characters were created, the art of calligraphy emerged. After a long period of historical evolution and development, until the Qin Dynasty, the writing system was unified and Qin Zhuan (small seal script) and Qin Li were created.
This glorious achievement of epoch-making significance has written a brilliant page in the history of Chinese calligraphy art, laying a solid foundation for the existence of calligraphy as an independent art, and also laying a solid foundation for later generations of Hanli, regular script, cursive script and running script. It has opened up a broad road for change, development and prosperity.
In line with the development and prosperity of Chinese calligraphy art, ancient Chinese calligraphy theory has gradually developed and flourished. Relatively speaking, the emergence of ancient calligraphy theory was later than the formation of calligraphy art. According to the information currently available, ancient calligraphy works first appeared in the Han Dynasty. Yang Xiong, a scholar and writer from the Western Han Dynasty, put forward a famous conclusion in his "Fayan: Asking the Gods": "Books are also paintings from the heart." Although "calligraphy" here does not specifically refer to calligraphy, it was the earliest discussion It clarified the fundamental propositions of Chinese calligraphy theory - the relationship between calligraphy and the calligrapher's thoughts and feelings, and the expressive characteristics of calligraphy art. It had a profound impact on later generations of calligraphy creation and calligraphy theory, and became a keystone in the history of Chinese calligraphy theory. source.
The development, prosperity and prosperity of ancient Chinese calligraphy theory can be roughly divided into the following periods.
The Han Dynasty was the initial period of ancient Chinese calligraphy theory. As the art of calligraphy matures and flourishes, theoretical works specializing in calligraphy have emerged. The earliest article discussing calligraphy is "Cursive Script Shi" by Cui Yuan, a calligrapher of the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the article, Cui believes that the emergence of cursive script is a reflection of the social need to move from complexity to simplicity, and describes and praises the morphological and dynamic beauty of calligraphy. Fully affirmed the artistic aesthetic function and value of calligraphy. After this, several important works on calligraphy appeared, such as Zhao Yi's "Non-Cursive Script", Cai Yong's "Seal Script", "Bi Fu", "Bi Lun", "Nine Movements", etc. In particular, the great calligrapher Cai Yong's "Bi Lun" and "Nine Movements" occupy an important position in the history of Chinese calligraphy.
The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties were the mature period of ancient Chinese calligraphy theory. During this period, the art of calligraphy flourished and a large number of famous calligraphers emerged. The development of calligraphy art has also led to the research of calligraphy theory. During the Western Jin Dynasty, a number of theoretical works appeared that used the various objects and dynamics in nature to describe and compare the beauty of various calligraphy styles, such as Cheng Gongsui's "Lishu Style", Wei Heng's "Four-body Script", Suo Jing's Liu Shao's "Cursive Script", Liu Shao's "Fei Bai Shi", Yang Quan's "Cursive Script Fu", etc. show an aesthetic trend of "shangxiang". During the Eastern Jin Dynasty, calligraphers were no longer satisfied with describing the external form of calligraphy, but began to explore the rules of brush use, structure and composition techniques, and paid attention to the relationship between human subjective will and calligraphy. For example, Mrs. Wei's "Brush Formation Picture", Wang Xizhi's "After the Title", "Calligraphy Theory", "Brushwork Theory", "Using Brush Writing", "Recording the Calligraphy Techniques of Mr. Baiyun", etc. are all important books in this regard. Argument. By the Southern and Northern Dynasties, influenced by the current trends, people began to pay attention to comments on various calligraphers. Influential works in this area include Yang Xin's "Collecting the Names of People from Ancient Times", Yu He's "On Book Tables", and Qu Jianwu's "Shu Pin", etc. In particular, Wang Senglu's calligraphy treatises such as "Book Fu", "On Calligraphy", and "Praise for the Brushwork" focused on exploring the process and characteristics of calligraphy creation, which had a profound impact on the development of calligraphy art in later generations.
The Sui and Tang Dynasties were the flourishing period of ancient Chinese calligraphy theory. Although the Sui Dynasty was established for a short period of time, its calligraphy inherited the inscriptions of the Southern and Northern Dynasties and inspired the regular script schools of the Tang Dynasty, laying the foundation for the establishment of the regular script style of the Tang Dynasty. His calligraphy theory also focuses on exploring the brushwork and structure of regular script. Zhiyong's "Eight Methods of Yongzi" and Zhiguo's "Ode to the Heart" are representatives in this regard. As the art of calligraphy reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty, great calligraphers and famous calligraphers emerged in large numbers, and calligraphy theory also flourished. A large number of systematic and weighty calligraphy treatises were published one after another, discussing detailed techniques and analyzing the rules of calligraphy creation. Gradually replacing the elaboration of the overall impression of calligraphy art, it covers all aspects of calligraphy art and embodies the trend of "advocating law" in the Tang Dynasty. Ouyang Xun's "Thirty-Six Methods", Sun Guoting's "Book Book", Zhang Huaiyuhuan's "Book Discussion", "Letters", "Book Breaks", "Wenyu Lun", "Six Types of Calligraphy", "On the Ten Methods of Using the Brush", Dou Quan's "Shu Shu Fu", Xu Hao's "On the Calligraphy Team" Yan Zhenqing's "Twelve Meanings of Zhang Changshi's Brushwork", Zhang Yanyuan's "Fa Shu Yao Lu" are all of this A representative work of period calligraphy. In particular, Ouyang Xun's "Thirty-Six Methods", Sun Guoting's "Book Book", and Yan Zhenqing's "Twelve Meanings of Zhang Changshi's Writing Method" occupy an important position in the history of Chinese calligraphy theory.
The Song Dynasty was a period of change in ancient calligraphy theory. Due to various reasons, the calligraphy of the Song Dynasty could not be compared with that of the Tang Dynasty, but it was able to find another way, and calligraphy became popular for a while. Moreover, there have been innovations and developments in calligraphy theory.
People in the Song Dynasty advocated that calligraphy creation should not be bound by laws and regulations, and should not worry about specific methods such as stippling and layout. Instead, it should pay attention to the wind and spirit in the works and the inner spirit and temperament of the calligrapher, freely express his thoughts and strive for innovation. . It is a reflection of the "Shangyi" calligraphy style of the Song Dynasty. Zhu Changwen's "Shu Shujuan", Su Shi's "Lun Shu", "Dongpo's Inscriptions and Postscripts", Huang Tingjian's "Lun Shu", Mi Pu's "History of Shu", "Hai Yue Famous Sayings", Jiang Kui's "Shu Pu" etc., are all representative works of calligraphy during this period. "Sequel Book of Books" is particularly systematic and sophisticated. It has been highly praised by calligraphers of all ages and has a huge influence.
The art of calligraphy did not develop much during the Yuan and Ming dynasties. The art of calligraphy was still popular and had not yet gotten out of the trough of calligraphy creation. In terms of calligraphy theory, by inheriting the methods of the Jin and Tang Dynasties, the "Shangyi" calligraphy style of the Song Dynasty was denied, and then the morphological beauty of calligraphy art was emphasized, and the styles of the Wei and Jin Dynasties were highlighted. The calligraphy theory of the Yuan Dynasty mainly paid attention to laws and regulations. Representative works include "Yanji" written by Zheng Gou and Liu Youding and "Yan Ji" written by Chen Yizeng. Calligraphy in the Ming Dynasty emphasized advocating elegance and advocating both physical strength and aesthetics. Tao Zongyi's "History of Calligraphy", Fengfang's "Book Jue", Xiang Mu's "Calligraphy and Elegance" are his representative works.
The Qing Dynasty was a period when ancient calligraphy theory carried forward the past and opened up the future. Since the middle of the Qing Dynasty, a clear separation pattern has gradually formed between the study of calligraphy and the study of stele. Moreover, the study of calligraphy has gradually turned from prosperity to decline, while the study of stele has become increasingly prosperous. Therefore, in the early stage of calligraphy theory, emphasis was placed on the elucidation of pen and ink techniques. Representative works include Da Chongguang's "Shu Raft" and Zhu Luzhen's "The Essentials of Calligraphy". The later period mainly focused on the discussion of stele theory. Ruan Yuan's "On the Northern and Southern Schools of Calligraphy", "On the Northern and Southern Tielu", Bao Shichen's "Yi Zhou Shuang Yi" and Kang Youwei's "Guang Yi Zhou Shuang Yi" are these Representative works in this regard, and formed a trend of suppressing inscriptions and respecting monuments, emphasizing the north over the south. Liu Xizai's "Yi Gai·Shu Gai" summarizes the characteristics of calligraphy styles in the north and the south respectively, emphasizing that they have their own strengths, which is more fair and objective. Not only that, "Synopsis of Calligraphy" also provides a comprehensive, systematic and essential theoretical summary of the history of ancient Chinese calligraphy art, the history of the evolution of calligraphy style, and the techniques and styles of calligraphy art. These treatises occupy an important position in the history of ancient Chinese calligraphy. They provide a comprehensive and systematic summary of the theory and practice of steleology in the Qing Dynasty, and promote the development and prosperity of calligraphy art in the Qing Dynasty. And it had a profound impact on the development of modern calligraphy.
The general outline of the development of ancient Chinese calligraphy theory is as mentioned above. It is not difficult to find the following outstanding features:
First of all, it attaches great importance to the summary and guidance of aesthetic trends. Generally speaking, a society must have a social fashion, and this social fashion will inevitably affect all aspects of social culture; and the welcome or resistance of this fashion by various social and cultural aspects will inevitably directly affect this trend. The rise and fall of social fashions. Similarly, the aesthetic style of calligraphy art in different eras is also different. How to guide this aesthetic trend and make it become the dominant aesthetic trend of this era has become a matter of concern and discussion by calligraphers in various eras. For example, "Shang Xiang" in calligraphy commentaries in the Han and Wei dynasties, "Shang Yun" in calligraphy commentaries in the Jin Dynasty, "Shang Fa" in calligraphy commentaries in the Tang Dynasty, "Shang Yi" in calligraphy commentaries in the Song Dynasty, etc., all of which are references to the calligraphy art of each era. A summary of aesthetic trends in practice, which in turn guides the practice of calligraphy creation and promotes the development and prosperity of calligraphy art.
Secondly, the research on the art of calligraphy is comprehensive and systematic. As long as we take a rough look at the theoretical works on ancient Chinese calligraphy, you will see that the research and summary of calligraphy art in ancient my country is comprehensive, involves all aspects of calligraphy art, and is self-contained. If you compare it with ancient Chinese painting theory, this feature will be even more evident. For example, the study of the history of the development of calligraphy began with Song Yangxin's "Collecting Ancient Calligraphy to Write Names of People" in the Southern Dynasty. Since then, almost every dynasty has produced a number of such works. They discuss the history of the development of calligraphy from ancient times to the late Qing Dynasty, preserving the complete history of the development of Chinese calligraphy. Another example is the study of the evolution history of calligraphy styles, which discusses the emergence, development, changes, concepts, characteristics and other aspects of calligraphy styles such as large seal script, small seal script, Bafen, regular script, running script, Zhangcao and Jincao, etc., which is systematic and comprehensive. Another example is the study of calligraphy techniques, which is also extremely in-depth and comprehensive. All aspects of the use of the pen, the use of the edge, the holding of the pen, the use of ink, the use of white cloth, etc. are all studied in detail and meticulously.
Thirdly, pay attention to the relationship between book quality and character. As early as the Western Han Dynasty, Yang Xiong put forward the famous view that "calligraphy is the painting of the heart", believing that calligraphy works of art are a direct reflection of the calligrapher's ideology, morality, and taste.
This view had a profound impact on later generations. Zhu Changwen, a calligraphy critic of the Northern Song Dynasty, believed in his "Sushu Duan" that the level of a person's calligraphy art is closely related to his character cultivation. He gave an example: "Lu Gong can be said to be a loyal minister...his hair "Yu Bihan is resolute and majestic, and he is strict and disciplined. He is like a loyal minister and a righteous man. He is upright and unstoppable in the face of important events. Yangzi said that he takes books as his heart and paints them." This actually means Yan Yan. His dignified and vigorous style comes from his high moral integrity. Liu Xizai, a great modern calligrapher, said more clearly in "Yi Gui·Shu Gui": "The calligraphy is like it. It is like its learning, its talent, its ambition, in short: it is just like the person." He believes that through calligraphy, not only can we see The calligrapher's "learning", "talent" and "ambition", and you can imagine the calligrapher himself. A good character must be a good book.
In addition, he is good at using vivid metaphors to express the feelings of the appraiser, so as to fully demonstrate the interweaving of multiple psychological activities during the appreciation process. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cai Yong's "Bi Lun" used rich and beautiful metaphors to emphasize that the style of calligraphy creation should integrate various vivid forms of nature. Since then, calligraphy commentators of all dynasties have continued this tradition. For example, Sun Guoting wrote in "Shupu": "Observe the strangeness of a man's hanging needle and dew, the wonder of thunder and falling rocks, the frightening nature of flying beasts, the frightened state of luan dancing snake, the momentum of the cliff and the collapse of the peak, in the face of danger. According to its shape, it may be as heavy as a collapsing cloud, or as light as a cicada's wing; when it is directed, the spring will flow, and when it is stopped, the mountain will be peaceful; it is as slender as the first moon rising from the cliff in the sky, and falling like a row of stars..." Here, the author uses a series of vivid metaphors - actually metaphors - to compare the wonderful scenes of Zhong Yao, Zhang Zhi and Er Wang's calligraphy, so that people can gain a perceptual understanding and facilitate understanding. There are countless such examples.