The value of aesthetics
Hu Kangmei (vice chairman of China Book Association, doctoral supervisor)
One of the characteristics of calligraphy art is that there is a deep internal connection between the creator of the works and the works, as the saying goes. Zhang Ji was born in the northwest countryside where economic construction is still to be developed. He used to practice medicine and be the dean of township hospitals. He studied everywhere, entered the Academy of Fine Arts, entered the Normal University, and finally entered the China Academy of Art; He participated in the national calligraphy exhibition many times-submitting, losing, submitting again, losing again until he entered the exhibition and won the prize. He has experienced the double experience of life and art.
Zhang Ji's calligraphy has a certain traditional foundation, and the calligraphy method of seal script and script was before Wei and Jin Dynasties, which can be said to be superior. The seal script is simple and elegant regardless of the big seal script or the small seal script; Lishu is deeply rooted in Han, thick and relaxed; Take Zhong You as a model, and learn from Tang people, and see the style at first sight; Walking grass into Jin personality, beautiful and good style, dignified and elegant. As a calligrapher, it is important to learn from the past, but more importantly, to innovate. Innovation, on the one hand, is the inheritance and interpretation of traditional classics, that is, the application of traditional spirit to creative practice. On the other hand, it is a new accumulation of tradition, adding bricks and tiles to tradition, that is, giving tradition the characteristics of the times. Zhang Ji's works, like many young calligraphers, are filled with a fresh flavor of the times. If you taste them slowly, the ancient quality still exists. According to the fashionable saying, there is a little "classic model".
Tradition and innovation are an eternal topic in calligraphy. Since it is eternal, we should discuss and study it from generation to generation. Because this kind of discussion is the driving force for the development of calligraphy art. I think that any innovation has a coordinate, and this coordinate is tradition. What is the significance of calligraphy tradition? Is that it makes the art of calligraphy get a special quality different from other arts, which constitutes the cultural memory of calligraphy art. Calligraphy tradition is the root of the continuation and growth of calligraphy art! Inheriting our tradition is to defend the future of calligraphy art. What is the expression of traditional calligraphy? This issue is very important. If it is not clear, innovation will be blind and at a loss, and it will have no historical value because it cannot be linked with the past development. Cai Yong's Nine Trends in the Eastern Han Dynasty made it very clear about the expression of calligraphy art, which was the earliest professional theoretical article in the history of calligraphy in China and the cornerstone of traditional calligraphy theory. It comes straight to the point and says: "Fu Shu evokes nature, and nature is established, and yin and yang are born, and yin and yang are born, and the situation is out." Zhang Ji knows its reason well in his study, so he always insists on the unity of opposites of Yin and Yang in his creation, and creates the beauty of unity of opposites through the contrast and combination of various elements of calligraphy.
Zhang Ji's calligraphy creation has obvious artistic pursuit tendency, and his starting point is to create art. Many people in society often regard writing neatly and well as good calligraphy out of the habit of writing aesthetically, and writing clearly and knowing it is a good calligrapher. In fact, the art of calligraphy originates from nature and expresses nature. In the traditional concept of nature, besides everything, it also includes people, including people's emotions. What is the expression of this nature? Relying on yin and yang, one yin and one yang is called Tao, and Tao is natural. In traditional culture, Yin and Yang are highly abstract symbols, which can show the existence and relationship of everything. The sky is yang and the earth is yin; Male is yang, female is yin; Moving for Yang, static for Yin ... Specific to the art of calligraphy, it is a variety of contrasting relationships, which are light and heavy, fast and slow in the use of pens; In stippling, it is thick and thin, square and round; On the knot, it is big and small, positive and side; In terms of composition, it is sparse and dense, virtual and real; In ink color, it is thick and light, dry and wet ... The ancients said that "the calligrapher paints like a picture" and "the calligrapher paints like a picture". Calligraphy art, whether it is like a picture or a picture, all the expressions of nature are completed through various contrast relationships, so Cai Yong said: "Nature is established, and Yin and Yang are born." Zhang Ji's aesthetic value is not only reflected in his calligraphy works, but also in his seal cutting and painting. In the square inch of seal cutting works, try to understand the pluralistic and multilateral relations in the world; In painting works, I express my feelings through the combination and change of lines and colors.
Calligraphy works are the way for calligraphers to observe, understand and express the world, and the same is true of ancient people who speak words as they are. Zhang Ji's calligraphy has achieved today's success, which is inseparable from his conscious artistic aesthetics and rich life experience. Once advanced ideas are combined with rich life experiences, they are bound to succeed. However, a person's aesthetics, values and world outlook are not once and for all, but change with the change of the world; A person's experience energy is limited, which challenges the effect of no matter how rich the experience is with the change of the world wind. I believe that Zhang Ji has the ability and conditions to face the vagaries of the world and the world wind, and actively respond to challenges, so as to go through hardships in the road of calligraphy art and achieve new and greater achievements.