Calligraphy is the most classic national symbol in the development of traditional culture and art in China for five thousand years. It is an art form of writing Chinese characters with a brush, which has aesthetic inertia. Calligraphy can be called the "fourth religion" in China, with strong attraction, sense of ceremony and public participation. Therefore, for more than 5,000 years, the representative figures in each period were Zen Ruo Xing He, and the most important figures were Wang Xizhi, Yan Zhenqing, Huang Tingjian, Mi Fei, Zhao Mengfu, Zhu Yunming, Wang Duo, Liu Gongquan, Su Shi, Yu Bo, Ou Yangxun, Yu Shinan, Yan Suiliang and so on. In terms of techniques, paying attention to writing, pen, stippling, structure, ink painting and composition is closely related to traditional Chinese painting and seal cutting.
1. When compiling history, ancient historians have their own principles and styles in dealing with materials, commenting on historical events, praising and criticizing characters, etc., which are called "calligraphy". "Zuo Zhuan Gong Xuan Two Years": "Dong Hu, it's an ancient history, and calligraphy is not hidden." Liu Tang Zhiji's "Shi Tong Confused Classic": "Therefore, I know that at that time, Mi Qi had a straight pen, and Si was guilty of death, and calligraphy was not given up." Song Xie Caibo's Notes on Mizhai Volume 4: "The strictness of the calligraphy of the Analects of Confucius is called the calligraphy of the Spring and Autumn Annals." Ming Liu Ji's Chunqiu Bo: "Gai Tongxu and Zheng Bo's calligraphy."
2. Art of writing. Also refers to calligraphy works. Zhou Qing Biography of Southern Qi Dynasty: "I studied with Zang Zhi, a foreign general, and learned the calligraphy method of Wei Heng's official script very well." Song Qian Kui's Records of Qian's Furniture: "The beauty of calligraphy is the first today." Chapter 28 of The Scholars: "Poets have never been so good. Moreover, the beauty of calligraphy is no third in the world. " Zhou Yang's speech at the opening ceremony of the first calligrapher's congress in China: "Calligraphy is a unique art in China, so we should pay attention to it."
3. refers to the Chinese character form. Julia Mingfeng's "Qiaoxi Miscellanies 1234" and so on: "It is as good as the inscriptions in Qin and Han Dynasties, but the calligraphy is different."
4. wording. Lv Shuxiang's punctuation notes: "In Tong Jian's calligraphy, the word' night' is a sentence that must be accepted. There was no mention of the day, and the word' night' was read continuously and punctuated, meaning' on that night'; The word' night' continues, meaning' night'. "
The origin of calligraphy
Calligraphy is the art of writing Chinese characters. It is not only the cultural treasure of the Chinese nation, but also unique in the treasure house of world culture and art. In the long historical evolution and development, on the one hand, Chinese characters play an important social role in the exchange of ideas and cultural heritage, on the other hand, they also form a unique plastic arts. According to modern textual research, regarding the origin of China characters, it is generally believed that characters were created in the "Yangshao Culture Period" in the middle reaches of the Yellow River in China about five or six thousand years ago. Yangshao culture was named after it was first discovered in Yangshao Village, Shengshan, Henan Province in 192 1. In the past 40 years, there have been many discoveries.
There are three kinds of characters of all nationalities in the world, namely ideographic characters; Ideographic characters; Recording. Chinese characters are typical ideographs developed on the basis of ideographs. The method of pictographic writing is to draw the real thing. While painting tends to be more simplified and abstract, becoming a symbol that highlights the physical characteristics, representing a certain meaning and having a certain pronunciation ... Our Chinese characters have gradually taken shape, from pictures and symbols to creation and stereotypes, from ancient China seal script to small seal script, from seal script to official script, regular script and cursive script. In the process of writing and application of Chinese characters, the unique and independent calligraphy art of all nationalities in the world has gradually emerged.
Second, prehistoric Zhixia-calligraphy born in chaos
China's calligraphy art began in the generation stage of Chinese characters. "Voice can't spread in different places, but stay in different times, so words were born. Writer, so it is the trace of Italian sound. " As a result, words came into being. The earliest works of calligraphy art are not words, but some descriptive symbols-hieroglyphics or picture words.
Symbols depicting Chinese characters first appeared on pottery. The primitive depiction symbol only represents a rough concept of chaos and has no exact meaning.
More than 8,000 years ago, magnetic mountain culture, Fiji and Khan Lee cultures appeared in the Yellow River Basin. There are many symbols on the handmade ceramics unearthed in Fiji and Khan Lee, which are the chaotic combination of the communication function, note-taking function and pattern decoration function of the ancestors. Although these are not real Chinese characters, they are indeed the embryonic forms of Chinese characters.
Immediately after the Banpo site of Yangshao culture about 6000 years ago, some painted pottery with similar characters were unearthed. These symbols are distinguished from patterns, which promotes the development of Chinese characters. This can be said to be the origin of China characters.
Then Erlitou culture and Erligang culture. In the archaeological excavation of Erlitou culture, there are 24 kinds of marked pottery pieces, some of which are similar to Oracle Bone Inscriptions in Yin Ruins, and all of them are single independent characters. Erligang culture was found to have a writing system. Three bones with words were found here, two with words and a cross, which seemed to be carved for practicing lettering. This has made civilization take another big step forward.
The origin of primitive characters is an imitation instinct, which is used to visualize a specific thing. Although it is simple and chaotic, it already has a certain aesthetic taste. This simple writing can therefore be called prehistoric calligraphy.
Third, from the Shang Dynasty to the Western Han Dynasty-calligraphy that unconsciously entered the order.
From the Xia, Shang and Zhou Dynasties, through the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, to the Qin and Han Dynasties, the historical development of more than 2,000 years also promoted the development of calligraphy art. During this period, various calligraphy styles appeared one after another, including the handwriting of Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, stone carvings, bamboo slips and Zhu Mo. Among them, the fonts such as seal script, official script, cursive script and regular script were stereotyped in the screening and elimination of hundreds of miscellaneous characters, and the calligraphy art began to develop in an orderly manner.