The era seems to have a special enthusiasm for tradition. The pursuit of countless people and the omnipresence of "art" have made it impossible for us to explore the original intention of this enthusiasm. There are tons of huge inkstones and hundreds of thousands of painters and calligraphers of all levels who can dip in more than ten kilograms of ink at a time ... clearly entering a great era of artistic revival!
Come closer, we can see that the identification of artistic quality and authenticity is only the basis for litigation and price arrangement in the crowd with uncontrolled desires; As a way to decorate one's own "art appreciation" and gather wealth, it shows great ability to bear the price fluctuation of all kinds of "works of art" (including fakes of course); The "aesthetic" eyes, which have nothing to do with morality and personality cultivation, look at the market directly ... In fact, the so-called tradition has been destroyed and dusty like Pompeii because of madness and greed over the years. The emergence of human art and the discussion on the significance of art to human beings have become meaningless among people who have given up their own thinking on the meaning of existence. I have been silent until now, and I say inkstone here today because I finally thought that these words were written by Wang Yao and Wang Yao, just like chatting after drinking when we meet each other every year, saying some thoughts and hopes for them, and avoiding what I don't want to ignore.
I like Sheyan because I use it, and I met Wang Yao more than ten years ago because of Sheyan. It takes a few months to go to Shexian to handle affairs, so I have nothing to do with visiting inkstone shops along the street. He was carving inkstone when he entered the "Gravel Zhai" in Wang Yao, and he didn't look up. I saw the inkstone on the shelf and stood on the side to watch him carve it. It was a long time before he looked up and asked me, "Mr. Wang likes inkstone, doesn't he?" "I only like inkstone, very much!" I replied that I couldn't see that this young man in his early twenties had the intention of selling inkstones. Later, I often went to him to talk about inkstones. From then on, I found his strange attitude towards inkstone and carved inkstone in his personality combination, which is still difficult for me to explain. One day, he asked me, "... What kind of inkstone do you like best?" , "eyebrow tattoo ..." I answered. That afternoon, he took me to an inkstone shop in Tunxi Old Street, 5 miles away, to see a piece of "eyebrows". Praise and introduce all the way to the front of the "opposite eyebrow" inkstone. It's the first time for me to see such a good eyebrow stone. And his eyes are really hard to describe at this time. Inadvertently, he motioned me not to ask questions too loudly in advance, but to listen to his humble explanation in a low voice. On the way back, I repeatedly said that if he had this stone, his life would be enough ―― he was far from having the ability to buy it. Many years later, we met again, and his "Gravel Zhai" has become a famous shop in Tunxi Old Street, Huangshan. As soon as we met, he told me cheerfully that outsiders used their high-tech methods to confirm that the "eyebrow pattern" in the inkstone was excellent. In fact, I don't like using this method to treat the Longwei old pit, which was made of stone in the Tang Dynasty, with many beautiful legendary stones, which is too out of harmony with the elegance of inkstones that have been accompanied by calligraphy and painting since ancient times ―― especially today, when human beings are proud to meet their pleasure and profit needs with science and technology, which erodes their morality, wisdom and dignity, destroys their living environment and begins to alienate and dismember the human body itself. That day, Wang Yao turned on all the spotlights in the shop and put his new hometown treasures into the water for me to enjoy. Until late at night, his hands were red with cold. Although I am no stranger to the business operators' habits in Wang Yao, as in others, because the sudden social changes have improved in recent years, to my surprise, I still have the same mind of reserving the future when I first met him. At that time, the stripes he carved on the inkstone according to my intention have made me secretly guess how he will stretch on his works in the future; How will his calm, dense and penetrating eyes, which almost naturally appear as soon as he meets a good stone, guide his hands to pass on the inkstone in the future? When I saw them again, I also learned that a sentence I left at random fell on their young, impulsive and persistent hearts, which brought them an almost broken cooking experience after I left, a real broken cooking! But this is by no means unfortunate. That sentence is: "I don't sell a good stone." Although he lost several masterpieces during his proud period, this sentence has been used as a "creed" since the blow and regret. How many inkstones from the old pit of Longwei come together, just waiting for the carving knife in his hand to swim ...
I'm looking forward to it, and even before I go to his place every year, I directly say that I want to see one or two good inkstones that excite me. Sometimes I wonder how I can treat Wang Yao like this: I have traveled all over the world for many years, and I have seen several good inkstones that amaze me! I don't know why, I still expect so much and say so. I know that the expectation for him comes from the constant attachment between his life and inkstone, and the miraculous simplicity between his heart and stone. This emotional bond with me will not be broken.
Although the charm of art and the pleasure in aesthetics have long been generally recognized, the mystery of this phenomenon has not been solved. "What is art?" This ancient topic is still often discussed today. Tolstoy said that it is the kind of thing that can move people's emotions and change people. This is a general definition in what we usually call "art". Although we can also see a psychological analysis of art that is almost as deep, precise and cautious as under a microscope from the professional celebrity Gombrich, who was knighted by the British king for his meritorious service in art criticism; Bazin, who worked as director of the Louvre Art Museum after risking his life in World War II, enjoyed the essence of embedding art history into sex. In the classic exposition of China's successive calligraphy and painting critics, but a question was put forward by the philosopher Nietzsche: "... why?" He asked why there is such a general relationship between man and art?
Aesthetic accomplishment is the most common and main criterion for people to be human. "Ears with a sense of music, eyes that can feel formal beauty", "My feelings for any object can only be limited to the extent of my feelings", the ability to appreciate beauty "exists as a subjective nature for me" and "the formation of five senses is the product of all previous history"-the 26-year-old Marx who didn't ask God. Reminiscent of his later remark in the preface to Das Kapital, "In my opinion, what is conceptual is just what is changed in the brain", it seems that he has opened the only tunnel leading to the answer to the question. If you follow the path, you will find the deep "meaning". Let's talk about inkstone:
inkstone, for many years, the ink developed has flowed from the pen end, which made Wang Xizhi write a running script containing his own beautiful essay "Preface to the Lanting Pavilion" with a hook, pick, point and stroke that can't be passed down ... Huai Su's out-of-print wild grass "Preface" Reflected as a mental image, it also endows the insurmountable mountains in the painting ... Liang Kai's Drunken Monk, which makes all post-imitators look stupid and artificial today ... A few strokes written by Badashan people after suffering, and they are indifferent to the secular indifference ... In the dead of night, a superior Huizhou ink wandered on a good inkstone, and you can clearly feel the scene of inking between your fingers and convey your body and mind, making people feel happy, quiet and get the same eyes. Sometimes I don't want to and can't tell the difference between the two pleasures. After writing and washing the inkstone, always look at it with a critical eye. The inkstone, as always, is dignified and quiet, unknown, and ignores the owner's eyes-I can't help but fondle it, and rub it with my face ... When the interest comes, I immerse the inkstone in the water and concentrate on it, only to see the inkstone like a crystal clear night sky, with stars shining, just like a complete universe with infinite space. Between sighing and sighing, I only marvel at the magic of nature! The particularly clear lines on the inkstone body in the water remind people of the hands carving inkstones and the elegant mind of the inkstone carver who guided him ... Is this a "delusion"? Once when I accompanied Wang Yao to visit a ribbed Venus inkstone that passed by him and fell into the hands of others, I saw him standing in front of the inkstone for a long time, with tears in his eyes and saying nothing. This scene is not accidental. If the writers of past dynasties wake up, they will testify collectively. Even the emperor can't avoid this common concern: Li Shimin was afraid of dominating the people. After secretly designing and cheating the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion with a recent minister, he was in charge of state affairs during the day and couldn't sleep at night, so he held a lamp to enjoy the Preface to the Lanting Pavilion at night. Later, dozens of scholars were invited to join in the book of Jin, and personally wrote the biography of Wang Xizhi until the preface to Lanting was brought to Zhaoling.
Art appreciation, which is similar to metaphysical comfort and fantasy, has the magical power to affirm life regardless of absurdity and has been attached to the most primitive form ever since. So far, what we have mentioned above is only the spiritual phenomenon of aesthetics, and we still have not answered Nietzsche's question. Indeed, abstract conceptual deduction can't find the answer to this kind of question. Then take a look at Wang Yao's inkstone carving.
Many people envy Wang Yao's "success", and with the propaganda of domestic and foreign media, kitsch congratulations enveloped him prematurely. Fortunately, these have not removed his confusion-the confusion that inspiration can't come frequently, the confusion that the more you know about your mind, the more clear you are, and the confusion about how to go next-so Wang Yao is in hope. He sometimes even yearns for writing and painting ... This lingering psychological dilemma is an inevitable experience for Wang Yao, who is only in his thirties. Trying to comfort him is clumsy and ineffective. This dilemma is a necessary place for him to grow his hair.
Let's look at his antique inkstone. In the face of such an antique inkstone language, it seems redundant. Most of the materials used are Longwei Laokeng inkstone, which is very suitable for grinding ink. The most important lines in inkstone carving can be described as exquisite, so that because it is too delicate, the calligrapher is reluctant to grind ink, just like a peerless Longwei inkstone, which makes the inkstone carver unable to bear the knife. The requirements for his disciples are the same, and antique inkstones that are slightly neglected by one party are not allowed to be placed on the table. Carving inkstone in this way makes people see how rigorous and awe he is in ancient art. This is a quality of forging, and if it becomes an essential quality of the atmosphere, it is as important as building personality. Therefore, imitators who want to make a profit in the market and engrave Wang Yaoyan are distressed by their unsuccessful efforts; This is also the reason why people with high moral character and artistic accomplishment never worry about being cheated by fakes. The mystery hidden in China's traditional works of art, such as calligraphy, painting and inkstone engraving, is called "vivid" ―― imitators and imitators can't see it.
There is only one inkstone type, and I choose plain inkstone, which is close to the type called "Duanfang inkstone". This most common rectangular inkstone is not only concise and steady, but also an abstract match with rich connotations of Chinese calligraphy, and its carving is extremely difficult to achieve if it is perfect, which is the smoothness and conciseness of Huai Su's "The Notre Dame of Dongling". It is extremely rare that this kind of inkstone can withstand reading. It's always hard to explain, but Wang Yao understands. The carving of inkstone is too complicated, even the best is second-rate. Some people argue that "appreciation angle". But, sir, that's the appreciation from inkstone. Appreciating inkstone is a contemplative aesthetic, just like appreciating Moonlight Sonata.
We don't deny the inkstone chiseled with a big knife, but look at the "rolling cloud inkstone". The material is black and gray rib stone in Longwei Laokeng, which has excellent ink. This is the good inkstone that I said excited me. How wonderful! In addition to lamenting, it is not enough to express it in any way: coming from all directions, ups and downs, and accepting the flow of ink with such a soft and warm attitude; There is no mistake in the whirling changes like cirrus clouds ―― how can a beautiful mind have such a genius idea!
owl-shaped inkstone. Take the eel belly yellow eyebrow stone, and the inkstone shape is taken from the jade owl made by ancient humans. When I looked at it carefully in the museum, I realized that it was indeed an owl, which was common in the northeastern mountains and countryside when I was a child. It haunts at night, flying silently, only to see a black shadow passing by, and the sound is creepy. I always feel inexplicable fear and mystery when I see its huge eyes. Perhaps that's why it became the earliest worship of our ancestors. I always think that people's childhood mentality is the closest to their ancestors. I partially proved my idea when I went into the alpine dense forest deep in the "Golden Triangle" alone to inspect the people who were not influenced by the later culture. It's a pity that the pictures can't show the magic of the real thing. This is the only one of all the stone carvings I have seen-not just inkstone carvings-that gives people a breath of life directly. The beauty of the sideline reflected in the shape of its downward-spreading wing edge is at its peak! People can only praise the inkstone carver poetically. It was by divine inspiration that he carved it. Different colors in the stone layer seem to appear on the edge of each inkstone layer just for modeling. Owl's eyes are huge, flat and empty, with protruding eyes, showing a faint white, and a straight and intermittent black eyebrow line is placed in the author's eyes, which is like a dry tear. This black tear blurs the boundary between charm and yin and yang, and makes people take off the mask used for camouflage at the moment of looking at it and think of original sin.
"What would happen if this inkstone was put on my case ..." I said to myself, Wang Yao didn't understand it at that time.
actually, this inspiration can't come often! I quite understand. The elimination of Wang Yao's confusion does not mean that such works can come frequently. As the cornerstone of artistic creation, the aesthetic image has always been rich and solid according to the noble cultivation process. Its elegance and nobility undoubtedly need to be obtained from noble personality and promote personality, not just taken. Good and evil, beauty and ugliness are intertwined forever, and they are as inseparable as individuals and people. Only when Kant excitedly says that good has become so noble and powerful because of evil, we may give up lies and worry to meet the struggle of life. Seven hundred years ago, Eckhardt, a German priest, prematurely taught that "people should not always think about what they can do, but should think more about what they are." Today, only a few people begin to remember it. This is a topic that determines the fate of mankind, which I wonder whether it can finally attract the attention of most people. Toynbee, a great historian in the 2th century, believes that mankind is heading for self-destruction because he sees that almost all people today are driven by pleasure and greed to expand their abilities.
The beauty of inkstone, art and aesthetics, like any great historical action, can't prevent mankind from facing the disaster, but even if the disaster comes, there must be the pursuit of beauty in the recovery of survival. As a cell, people's pursuit for the beauty of nature and art has been implanted in the human body at first, and it has gone through with human history, and has become an endless choice and abandonment of instinct and original needs and participation in the survival process. The more artistic creation can convey the revelation of the beauty of nature, the more valuable it is to human existence. At least one person has long recognized that he is Rodin who stood in front of the ancient cathedral for a long time.
Powerful lives are not alienated, and most of them can remember and often realize "what they are" with the help of their original ability to communicate with nature. Real works of art and noble artistic aesthetics can provide this kind of meditation at most. Together they may save the world.
-Xiaozhong