Xu Wei, courtesy name Muzhi, male, is a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, an academic member of the Shandong Painting and Calligraphy Society, the dean of Lishan Academy, and a calligrapher and painter.
1. Calligraphy appreciation:
Many people, when faced with a calligraphy work, decide whether it is good or not. They first look at its name, which level of membership it is, whether it is the chairman or a director, or a professor, a famous artist, a master, a disciple of ××, etc. In fact, these things have little to do with whether the work is good or not. Not to mention whether some of the names are real or fake, or how they were obtained, there are many people who are fake or fake. Once when I was watching an exhibition, I met a few acquaintances who were all lovers of calligraphy and painting. Some have been studying calligraphy and painting for decades. When faced with a famous work, they point at it and praise it. I ask them, what is so good about this work? They looked confused. I asked again: "Which one is better, the charm or the composition, the use of brushes, lines, structure, etc."? They pondered for a while, then seemed to analyze it against the elements I mentioned, and then said, "Yes, this work is also very average." In fact, many people are like this. As soon as I saw that it belonged to a famous artist or everyone, I was in awe of the work, and imagined how good every stroke and every stroke of the work was. I even mistakenly thought that some bad habits and bad strokes had characteristics and momentum, and even imitated them. For someone who has never practiced calligraphy, there is nothing wrong with this kind of appreciation. But I often meet calligraphy enthusiasts who have studied calligraphy for one or twenty years and it doesn’t make sense. Based on my personal experience of studying calligraphy for many years, I would like to share some opinions on how to understand a calligraphy work.
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
First of all, grasp the overall situation and look first.The ancients said that "the beauty of calligraphy is first, followed by form and quality. Only those who have both can be introduced to the ancients." In other words, a good calligraphy work should express the spirit through form and have both form and spirit. Spirituality is like a person's mental outlook. A calligraphy work reveals the atmosphere, spirit, style, temperament, interest, connotation, etc. as a whole. Good works give people a sense of stability, naturalness and grandeur, or are simple, lush and thick, quiet and elegant, ethereal and vivid, giving people a comfortable and beautiful enjoyment. Bad works are frivolous, rough, timid, dull, blunt, vulgar, and make people feel bored.
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
Secondly, observe the parts and distinguish the advantages and disadvantages.First, analyze the composition and layout, whether the layout is reasonable, whether the composition is novel or not, whether the relationship between density, size, shade, speed, smoothness, leaning, etc. is appropriate, whether the breath of the whole text is smooth, and then look at the dotted lines and pen strokes. , writing strokes, closing strokes, transitions, proposals, etc. Whether the writing techniques are in place. "Stable, accurate and ruthless" are the common characteristics of good calligraphy pens. What's more important is to observe the quality of the lines. Good lines are strong, powerful, elastic, contain changing rhythms, and have a balance of hardness and softness. Bad lines are light and smooth, straightforward and blunt, or weak and feeble. Then we will look at whether the glyph structure is beautiful or not, and whether it has taste. Good calligraphy has a natural structure, vividness and flavor. A bad structure is stiff, rigid, and awkward.
Only through such a comprehensive analysis can we judge whether a calligraphy work is good or bad.
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
2. Calligraphy practice
1. If you want to learn calligraphy well, copywriting is the only way.The first thing to do before posting is to choose a good post. If you choose the wrong post, you will get twice the result with half the effort. The selection of calligraphy must be based on the highest standards, and we must look at history and select the most classic works by the most famous calligraphers. Beginners should generally start with regular script, but they can also start with official script. Regular script is relatively difficult, the rules are strict, and the pen is more complicated, while the official script is relatively simple. For regular script, it is best to choose classic examples of regular script such as Tang Kai "Yan, Liu, Ou", Yan Zhenqing's "Qinli Stele", Liu Gongquan's "Xuanmi Pagoda", Ouyang Liu's "Jiucheng Palace" and other regular scripts. The official script "Zhang Qian Stele", "Ritual Stele", "Yiying Stele" and "Cao Quan Stele" are all very good. Small regular script can be traced back to the Jin Dynasty, and the works of "Er Wang" or "Zhong Yao" are the most classic. The cursive calligraphy belongs to the two kings, Yan Zhenqing, and the four masters of the Song Dynasty "Su, Huang, Mi and Cai" are all very good. Which post you choose also depends on your personal preference. Choose from these classic posts. In short, the selection of texts should be from the ancients, and it should never be based on personal preferences to imitate modern people. It is best to select suitable texts for practice under the guidance of expert teachers.
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
2. Lin Tie: Lin Tie is divided into opposite Lin, Yi Lin and Back Lin.
① Opposite: It is to compare the original post and read the written strokes one by one. Before writing, it is best to have a preliminary understanding of the overall style and pen characteristics of the post under the guidance of a teacher. Start writing, try to write as realistically as possible, from the pen to the structure, observe and understand carefully. You can't just compare yourself to the gourd and use your brain. In the process of practicing, we must constantly understand what is right and what is wrong in terms of dots, strokes, lines, entry and closing of the pen, and structure. We must learn to compare and find gaps from the comparison. It should be noted here that you must write stroke by stroke, and you cannot draw strokes and glyphs just to be consistent with the original post. You must be able to understand the use of the pen, the lines of the pen must be clear, and the turns and proposals must be correct. Don't try to save trouble and just take it by casually. Lin Xi first writes it word by line, and then the whole text. When practicing a character, you should be able to understand the structure of the character, the main stroke, the secondary stroke, the weight of the contraction, the point of exertion, etc. When writing a line, pay attention to the connection from top to bottom, size and weight, leaning, distance and breath. The other is the contrast and avoidance between this line and the left and right of another line. In this way, in the end, all the information contained in the original post must be fully absorbed and digested as much as possible. You cannot look at which word is more beautiful and pick out the word "coming" alone. Words, which stroke is best to practice alone. If you sacrifice the basics and strive for the final, after a long time, you may be able to write a word, but you will not know how to start writing a work or you will not be able to complete the work. In the end, you will not be able to enter the Dharma.
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
② Yilin: It is to grasp the overall style of the original post, based on the characteristics of the pen, instead of copying it exactly, you can write naturally according to the original post, the size, length, weight, etc., you can write appropriately when studying the original post Write in a relaxed manner. In this way, the original post can be better digested and absorbed, and you will not be killed by the original post. It would be better if you can gain more experience by reading more posts and write your own style according to your own feelings (must adhere to the correct aesthetic rules).
③Back: Abandon the original post and write the original post through your own memory. This step is unknown or ignored by many people. I found that many people have been practicing calligraphy for many years, or even decades, and they are pretty good when writing in front of the post, but they are not good once they leave the post. Or the quality of creating a work is greatly reduced. The reason is that there is no real digestion and understanding of the original post. Carrying on your back is like a child walking. To really know how to walk, you must throw away the stick. If you can care about leaning on your back and carry on, you are basically close to creation.
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
3. Issues to note before posting.Before practicing, you must first use your heart. You cannot just use your hands and eyes. You must learn to use your eyes to compare and find differences, and use your heart to feel whether it is good or bad. It is necessary to cultivate the ability to identify and feel beauty. If you cannot find the gap, you cannot make progress if you cannot feel the good and the bad. Second, you must be serious when writing and write according to the rules. You cannot shrink back when you find it difficult or try to take it easy and scribble at will. This creates bad habits that are difficult to change. Third, you should write more frequently and persist for a long time. Don't be eager for quick success. You should learn to enjoy the process, from quantitative changes to qualitative changes, and to success. Fourth, don't be superstitious. There are differences in the works of famous calligraphers, and there are imperfections in even the best works. You must dare to get rid of superstition and feel it with your heart. Don't regard the bad points as advantages or even exaggerate them imaginatively. . Of course, you may not be able to tell the difference between good and bad due to your experience level. At this time , it is best to ask a professional teacher for guidance. Don't pretend to understand and deceive yourself, otherwise you will never understand. Fifth, you should pay attention when approaching the inscriptions. Due to the long history, the handwriting is unclear. Furthermore, the inscriptions are not written in their original form. They have been processed by craftsmen, and the dots and dashes have changed. Therefore, when you are studying, don't copy it exactly as it is without understanding. You must understand what the characters are and what the correct strokes look like. You must see the tip of the pen through the edge of the knife.
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
Xu Muzhi's calligraphy
3. Calligraphy creation
First nature. When creating, you should consciously clear away distracting thoughts and maintain a completely relaxed state. As the old saying goes, "playing in art" means creating with a playful attitude, forgetting about fame and fortune, and not thinking about whether it is good or bad. And don't think about which stroke or word in the post is good. But you need to know what is a good pen, layout, composition, and lines. Know these basic methods to create as much as you can . Don't lose your nature for the sake of the splendor of any one stroke. Nature is the Dao, techniques are small techniques, and techniques must serve the Dao. Don't deliberately use occult techniques, but be able to calm down and express yourself relaxedly and naturally. The second is that the style of the whole article should be consistent and the charm should be smooth, and it should not be patchwork or disorganized. Third, creation must have its own style. The formation of style is a long-term process. Continuous learning and understanding, learning from others' strengths, and forming one's own aesthetic consciousness. You may have to refer to some templates at the beginning, but in the end you have to have your own thoughts and feelings and write from your own heart. Fourth, read more, think more, and have your own independent thoughts and opinions. When it comes to writing calligraphy, the focus is not on technique. Generally, after ten or eight years of careful practice, you can basically pass the technical level. In the end, what matters is the author's mind, education, and cultivation. Your ideological realm also determines the height of your calligraphy. Therefore, if you want to go far in calligraphy, the only way is to read more and constantly improve your ideological and cultural accomplishments.
