For friends who like official script, which kind of calligraphy is better to learn is the first question in countless minds. Which kind of calligraphy should be learned first and which kind of calligraphy should be learned later? There is no final conclusion, but There are three principles for reference when choosing posts.
(1) Choose your favorite official script calligraphy.
Due to different factors such as personality, experience, and environment of each person, everyone has different aesthetic tastes and different hobbies. This is just like the choice of clothing. Some people like to be solemn, while others like to be chic. , some people like luxury, some people like elegance, the same is true for calligraphy. During the Han Dynasty, especially in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the practice of erecting funeral cemeteries and carving stones to express merit was prevalent, so a large number of inscriptions have been handed down. Although these inscriptions belong to the same Han Dynasty, their styles are indeed very different. Roughly speaking, there are no more than two types. One type is dignified and elegant, such as "Yiying Stele", "Shichen Stele", "Ritual Stele", "Cao Quan Stele", etc.; the other is vigorous and simple, Such as "Zhang Qian Stele", "Good King Stele", "Hengfang Stele" and so on. Different styles give people different feelings. Whichever style you like, you can choose which style of inscription. Nowadays, the calligraphy world is more respected for the vigorous and simple official script along the way. Overly elegant inscriptions such as "Cao Quan Stele" will slip into sweetness if not mastered well. To choose, you need to compare. It is necessary to buy more official script inscriptions and put them on your desk.
(2) The method is as follows. The "method" in calligraphy is not like other disciplines, which can be defined by formulas, laws, principles, and rules. As long as you follow the methods and steps in the book, you can get the correct answer. The "Dharma" in calligraphy refers to the famous tablets and calligraphy left by the sages recognized throughout the ages. The writing style, structure, and organization of the inscriptions are the rules, the standards we must follow. Beginners should use the inscriptions as a standard to standardize their illegal words, so the famous inscriptions are also called legal inscriptions. The so-called "taking the best method is the best" means to imitate the first-class inscriptions. Fengfang Ming Dynasty's "Shu Jue": "An old saying goes: 'If you take the method from the top, you can only get the middle; if you take the method from the middle, it will be the bottom.'" Beginners do not have good eyesight, and the inscriptions they see are limited, so they have no idea what is the top. , there are countless in my heart. It is common to get a copybook in official script and rush to study immediately, which is also easy to make detours. So what is the best? Among the nearly 100 types of official script inscriptions on stele and inscriptions that are commonly seen, Han Li is the most recommended. From the perspective of the history of writing development, official script has developed to its peak period by the Eastern Han Dynasty. From the perspective of time and space, these relics of the sages nearly two thousand years ago must be full of ancient interest. Although the official script of the Qing Dynasty is full of new ideas, the ancient interest is weak. Among Han steles, although calligraphy commentators have different evaluations of individual inscriptions, their evaluations of most famous steles are basically the same. These recognized famous steles are Shang. For example, the official script calligraphy mentioned above. Since there is an up, there must be a down. What is down? There are two types of copybooks that are not advisable. The first is the calligraphy made by later generations who made rubbings of ancient monuments. The characters on this kind of calligraphy have lost the charm of the original stele after being passed through two or even three hands. It is better to choose the original rubbings. The second is to treat the inscriptions that are not highly praised in the calligraphy world or that are "little known" with caution, and do not take them for granted. It is controversial whether modern people's calligraphy can be learned. The author believes that modern people's calligraphy has a lot to learn from, but it is not suitable to learn it deeply, because it is easy to learn and get started, and in the innovation stage, it is not easy to get rid of modern people's calligraphy. The shadow of a person should be noted.
(3) Beginners, it is best to choose Pingzhengyiyi copybooks first. Sun Guoting's "Shupu" says: "Beginners learn distribution, but they want to be fair?" Although this is about the structure of Chinese characters for beginners, you should first make sure that the structure is straight. If you want to have a straight and upright structure, you can only choose copybooks from Pingzheng Yilu, such as "Yiying Stele", "Shichen Stele", and "Liqi Stele", which are all good examples for beginners to learn official script. The straight structure and symmetrical white cloth are also a style in themselves, which give people a dignified and elegant beauty. The official script with a straight structure has unlimited room for expansion. If you want to pursue danger and wonder, fairness is the foundation of danger and wonder. Although the copybooks of Xianqi Road, such as "Zhang Qian Stele", are of high artistic quality, beginners who do not have a deep appreciation of the beauty of such calligraphy find it difficult to accept them emotionally, and naturally cannot understand the essentials and techniques when writing. It’s also not easy to grasp. When your understanding of calligraphy gradually deepens, your skill gradually deepens, and you have a deeper appreciation of the aesthetic characteristics of this type of inscriptions, it will not be too late to switch to inscriptions.