Oracle Bone Inscriptions can't be classified as the art of calligraphy.
Calligraphy first expresses words, or painting or other arts. Therefore, writing is the mother of calligraphy. When there were no words in ancient times, people began to draw notes by counting with ropes. About 4000 years ago (Shang Dynasty), Oracle Bone Inscriptions appeared, depicting the numbers and notes in hieroglyphics on tortoise shells or animal bones, which is the oldest writing in China. It is worth noting that there are three elements here: "characters, writing tools and text carriers". After that, the evolution of Chinese font until the formation of specialized calligraphy art is still inseparable from these three elements. Simply put, it is "words, pens and paper". Of course, there is ink, and most calligraphers are very particular about the choice and use of ink. However, the evolution of ink itself in the evolution of Chinese character writing is not great. Today, people who study calligraphy often pay attention to the form and skills of writing, which is of course good. However, ignoring the influence of the other two elements on the evolution of calligraphy is prone to deviation. Although many calligraphers attach great importance to the use of paper and pen in calligraphy, the paper and pen here are very different from those of the ancients. Looking ahead, it is not today's paper and pencil at all.
As mentioned earlier, Oracle Bone Inscriptions is depicted in hieroglyphics on tortoise shells or animal bones, of course, not in the present sense of paper and pen. Some modern calligraphers introduced Oracle Bone Inscriptions into contemporary calligraphy, which is a good idea, but it is worthy of commercial rights. First of all, calligraphy is not painting. No matter how well written, who can recognize it? Secondly, Oracle Bone Inscriptions is carved, which is completely different from writing on paper with a brush. Although there has always been a saying that "calligraphy and painting are interlinked", it means that there are some similarities between calligraphy and painting, which can be used for reference. Is the book a book, a painting or a painting?
The seal script of Qin Dynasty represents a major transformation from hieroglyphics to symbolic characters.
After Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions appeared, which are the general names of inscriptions and fonts on bronzes in Shang, Western Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. This is a cast word, not a pen and paper in the present sense. But at that time, there were also words written on some writing carriers with a brush, such as jade and bamboo slips (wooden slips), which were usually called seals (big seals). 1965, a large number of jade tablets of oath were unearthed at the site of Jin State in Houma, Shanxi Province, which were called "Houma League Book", also known as "Book Carrying". The style of the group book is very beautiful. It is written with a brush, mostly with Zhu and less with ink. His calligraphy is sharp, concise, elegant, stretched and rhythmic. Visible brush at least in the Spring and Autumn Period. Some scholars believe that the writing brush was produced in the Oracle Bone Inscriptions era of Shang Dynasty. The appearance of brush is an important event in the history of calligraphy. Bamboo slips (or wooden slips) are also from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. 1In July, 953, 42 bamboo slips were unearthed from Yangtianhu Tomb in Changsha, Hunan Province. The bamboo slips are 22 cm long and 65438 0.2 cm wide. They were written with seal script and brush, each with 2- 10 characters, belonging to the Warring States period.
The seal script after the bronze inscription and seal script is a unified script popularized by Qin Shihuang after the unification of China, so it is also called "Qin Zhuan". Xiao zhuan, which we often say in calligraphy now. Xiao Zhuan is a great change in China characters, from hieroglyphics to symbolic characters, which is of great significance in the history of China characters. Before the invention of paper, Xiao Zhuan was mainly written on bamboo slips (wooden slips) with a brush. The ancients also used silk as a writing carrier, such as Chapter 8 of the Chronicle of Gaozu in Historical Records, "Liu Ji is a book, and silk shoots up the city". However, because silk was precious at that time, it could not be widely used for writing. Xiao Zhuan has been favored by many calligraphers because of its beautiful font, complex strokes, simple form and free addition of twists and turns. But historically, Xiao Zhuan was originally written on bamboo slips or carved on stones. Now it is suitable for lithograph, and it tastes very different when written on rice paper with a brush. Maybe, there is no charm at all. Therefore, we should pay special attention to the study of seal script today. Calligraphy is an exquisite skill, no matter which one of the pen, ink and texture has changed, it will greatly affect the writing effect. As the saying goes, "a tiny difference is a thousand miles away."
Xiao Zhuan was popular in China until the end of the Western Han Dynasty, and was gradually replaced by official script.
The original official script was also written on bamboo slips or engraved on stone tablets, so the characteristics of writing carrier should also be considered in the study of early official script. Due to the restriction of bamboo slips, the characters at that time were very small, similar to the later lower case letters. Writing big characters and writing small characters are different in techniques, and we can't generalize them. This is also the place where we should pay special attention to learning ancient calligraphy. Although there were stone tablets before the invention of paper, there were Chinese characters on them. But in fact, daily writing and inscriptions are few after all, and the writing carrier and final engraving will also change. However, the appearance of inscriptions should be the embryonic form of calligraphy. This is a very important event, because it is the embodiment of exhibition and composition.
The development of cursive script benefited from papermaking.
Cursive script began in the early Han Dynasty. At first, it was "Cao Li", that is, scribbled official script, and later it formed "Cao Zhang". At this time, it is mainly written on bamboo slips. Later, Cao Zhang written on paper actually changed a lot. From the Eastern Han Dynasty to the first year of Yuan Xing (A.D. 105), Cai Lun, on the basis of summarizing the previous experience in making silk-woven crystals, invented plant fiber paper suitable for writing with bark, broken fishing nets, rags and hemp heads as raw materials. At this time, paper has gradually become the most widely used carrier in writing until today. At the end of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Zhi (? ~ about 192) Change "Cao Zhang" into "Today's Grass", with stretched body and flowing water.
Zhang Zhi didn't do the transformation from Cao Zhang to today's grass, but Zhang Zhi became a representative because he was the most accomplished at that time. In fact, it is more important that the invention of paper makes this grass like a duck to water. Without the invention of paper, grass today would be unimaginable. The invention period of paper is the chronological period when "calligraphy" became a real art, because calligraphy pays attention to charm, composition and seal cutting, which can only be unified on paper and fully exerted.
More strictly speaking, it should be after the invention of rice paper. It's just that the exact time of the invention of rice paper has not been determined, only that it was invented by Cai Lun apprentice Kong Dan in southern Anhui. Some scholars believe that calligraphy came into being in Oracle Bone Inscriptions era, mainly because Oracle Bone Inscriptions is a mature Chinese character in terms of writing. But as far as Chinese characters in the sense of calligraphy are concerned, there are also font changes. As far as the complete works are concerned, there are also orientations of application and appreciation. Oracle Bone Inscriptions should be the origin of calligraphy, and other forms and characters before paper appeared were the embryonic form of calligraphy.
After the Han Dynasty, regular script was widely used.
Regular script came into being at the end of Han Dynasty and was shaped in Wei and Jin Dynasties, shortly after the invention of paper. It should be said that the technical conditions at that time were still very backward, and the technical perfection of paper will not change with each passing day like today, so it will take some time. This is the period when regular script is formed and finalized. Therefore, when we try to figure out the evolution of regular script, we should also pay attention to the process of continuous progress in paper making technology. Regular script is the most widely used font after the end of Han Dynasty.
The ancients loved running script.
Running script is the latest, but it was also produced at the end of Han Dynasty, and it was produced during the formation of regular script. Running script is a font between regular script and cursive script. It makes up for the slow writing speed of regular script and the difficulty in recognizing cursive script. The masterpiece is Preface to Lanting written by Wang Xizhi, a calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. As far as reality is concerned, the running script is most favored by the ancients, mainly because it is convenient and clear to write. After Wang Xizhi, the running script was mostly displayed in calligraphy, mainly because it was easy to identify and varied. After all, calligraphy is about words, not abstract paintings. As for "running script" and "running script", it should be said that it is only the different trends of running script.
Modern "hard pen calligraphy" has been divorced from the traditional calligraphy art.
In modern times, people mainly use "hard pens" in writing, such as pencils and pens. Paper is no longer Xuan paper, and great changes have taken place in writing tools and writing carriers. But this is just to make writing more convenient and no longer produce calligraphy in the traditional sense.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the debate about "rubbings" has a history of thousands of years in the book circle. As far as the "perfection" of calligraphy is concerned, the inscriptions are all replicas, which are not enough to fully reflect the original. Moreover, many steles are uneven in excellent production. Therefore, the model is still based on the real ink of the ancients, even in the Tang Dynasty, it should be based on the real ink. Secondly, the original inscription can still reflect the basic original appearance after all. The so-called famous inscriptions should be treated with caution, and many of them are really unbelievable.