Composition of calligraphy works;
Composition, also known as line drawing, refers to how to arrange a work as a whole and how to treat all parts as a whole in calligraphy creation. It involves dealing with the echo and reference between words and lines. In calligraphy creation, the difference between one mistake and one word will affect the effect of the whole article. The so-called "adding one point makes it long, and subtracting one point makes it short" is not only true for the structure of a word, but also for the whole work. Dong Qichang's "Essays on Painting Zen Rooms: Book Review" in the Ming Dynasty said: "The ancients took composition as a major event and covered the so-called thick lines. I saw in fine print that it read "Elegant Map of West Garden". It was a fan, and its straight chord was not reversed. This is definitely a matter of paying attention to composition on weekdays. The right army's "Xu Lanting" is the first in ancient and modern times, and its words are all born from the tape, small or big, all in the law, so it is also a god. " This shows the importance of composition.
A calligraphy work is like a painting, the colored part is a painting, and the colorless part is also a painting; Similarly, where there are words, there are structures, and where there are no words, there are structures. The place with words is called "black" and the place without words is called "white". Dealing with the relationship between black and white is the essence of composition from beginning to end. Bao's Biography of Deng, an art boat in the Qing Dynasty, said: "You can go quickly in the sparse place, but you can't go in the dense place. You always think that white is black and interesting." It shows the artistic treatment of black and white and reality in a calligraphy work. If you don't know how to deal with the relationship between black and white, and how to "gather many words in one piece", even if a single word is handled well, it is chaotic and lacks charm from beginning to end.
As a complete calligraphy work, it usually consists of three parts: text, inscription and seal, which are integrated, complementary and inseparable. The specific requirements are as follows:
(a) text;
Character is the main part of a calligraphy work, and it is also the key part of composition processing, that is, the creator's writing of the selected text content is the main part of the work. According to the general habit, it is necessary to read, which requires that the writing in the process of calligraphy creation should conform to the reading order, so the rows and columns are established accordingly. There are roughly three forms of white cloth method:
There are lines and columns: the whole article is vertical and horizontal, which is the most rigorous sequence style. It is characterized by neatness, generosity, symmetry and clarity, which gives people a neat beauty. It's almost like a phalanx marching in a military parade. We must keep vertical and horizontal lines, keep a neat pace and be full of vitality. When writing, the center of each word should be aligned, neither too high nor too low, nor too left nor too right. Writing regular script, official script and seal script requires neat and practical handwriting, which is suitable for this form. This neat composition creates a high sense of order, full of craftsman's breath, and it is difficult to overcome the suspicion of being manipulated, arranged and manufactured. Beginners need to start with the rules and master this layout form first. However, efforts should be made to eliminate the "artisan spirit" in practice, and the input of natural laws and the catharsis of emotional thoughts cannot be relaxed for a moment. Nature and strictness are not contradictory in a regular layout, but an interdependent whole, that is, strictness should be established in the harmony of nature, and the harmony of nature should be manifested in the strict order. If we understand the relationship between them in contradiction and isolation, it will lead to "like an operator" and not a book.
There are rows without columns: in short, it is the layout form of vertical rows and horizontal columns. This distribution pays attention to the continuity and vitality of qi. When writing, we should follow the rules of writing structure and stroke movement, and naturally deviate from the left and right centers according to the nature of strokes, so that the vertical center of lines deviates from the left and right, and the center of gravity is unified in the movement, which constitutes the principle that hash strokes should follow. There are several lines on a piece of paper. The fluctuation of each line should not only take into account the bank's backward inclination, but also take care of its relationship with other lines, especially pay attention to the strewn at random with adjacent lines, and strive to look around and avoid left and right. The method of doing things without columns is neat and changeable, which makes people relaxed and happy. Suitable for all kinds of books, especially running script and cursive script. This distribution is the main form of calligraphy creation in ancient and modern times.
The method of no lines and no columns: refers to the works that are divided into sections without lines and columns, up and down, left and right, patchwork and natural. This form mainly appears in some ancient calligraphy relics, because the characters before the pre-Qin period are directly drawn from nature, which is quite interesting, and the vertical and horizontal arrangement has not been noticed. Later, this form was also adopted in the creation of cursive script.
In fact, the real sense of no line and no column is a visual illusion. According to the reading order, whether vertically or horizontally, the vertical and horizontal relations are chaotic and mysterious, just like the streets paved with stones and the uneven font size, which are changeable and seamless. This form can not be measured by the concept of size in advance, but is carried out by well-cultivated people in an impromptu state. When writing, you are usually excited, even complacent and unrestrained. You can write freely, just seeking the natural fit. Therefore, it is very artistic, only suitable for viewing, of little practical value, and more difficult for beginners to master. Many works like Zheng Banqiao are published in this way. In addition, Zhang Xu's four poems and Huai Su's autobiographical posts are also distributed in this way.