Calligraphy is one of the six arts and a compulsory course for ancient literati. Most of the celebrities in the past dynasties were masters and masters who were proficient in calligraphy at that time. Calligraphy and painting are elegant things. There are many calligraphers in the history of calligraphy development in China for thousands of years. They are either masters of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Or a junior, advocating landscape nymphs and advocating life in nature. Wang Xizhi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty and his friend Yu Yonghe gathered in the Lanting at the foot of Huiji Mountain in the early spring of the ninth year to express their feelings, watch the creation of natural landscapes, realize the true meaning of life, explore the mystery of life and death, and write an immortal classic, Preface to Lanting, which was praised by later generations as the best running script in the world. Yan Zhenqing, a great calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, was deeply saddened by the murder of his nephew, Yan Jiming, by a traitor, and wrote the second running script, Sacrifice to the Nephew. After visiting Chibi, the ancient battlefield of the Three Kingdoms, Su Shi, a great calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, wrote a well-known poem "Before and After the Fu on Chibi". When his official career was low and he was demoted to Huangzhou, he also wrote a classic post "Cold Food Post", which became a model of ancient books in China. The above works either stem from the author's rich accumulation and profound thinking in life, or from his emotional peak, or based on his understanding of nature and life. They are natural and can be called masterpieces of the ages.
Calligraphers often experience and sublimate themselves in the process of constantly understanding the true meaning of life, and artistic creation also advances in the process of continuous exploration, progress and promotion in the process of continuous failure, self-denial and self-transcendence.
Artists need to understand nature and experience life. Without these, their works would become fish without water. Chinese painting pays attention to the nature of foreign teachers and gains the heart of China. Fang Hengxian, a painter in the Qing Dynasty, said: "Painting, clearing things, romantic. If there are few books in my chest and a little dust in my pen, I will be poor in years and months, painting and reading. What's the use? This true admirer has a distinction between elegance and vulgarity. " Calligraphy creation is such a truth. Calligraphy appears in the form of abstract lines, which actually has the same problems as painting. Calligraphers can't create masterpieces as long as they spend a lot of time studying. I think learning calligraphy requires not only the hard work of monk Huai Su who hasn't been downstairs for several years, but also the keen understanding inspired by Zhang Xu's observation of Gong Sundaniang's sword-dancing equipment, as well as the correct outlook on life, values and achievements, which can be said to be indispensable.
I began to learn running script from Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, because I have a natural love for the works of the two kings. However, after studying for dozens of times, little progress has been made, because studying is only based on gourd painting, only in form, far from spirit, let alone personal creation. I know this is the natural result of self-cultivation and extra-word work. In the past two years, I have focused my research on Wang Xizhi, a "book saint". During my study, I pay more attention to the in-depth understanding of the works themselves and the study of knowledge other than calligraphy. The most obvious characteristics of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy style are exquisite brushwork and changeable structure. His exquisite and beautiful calligraphy style, cursive script, is vigorous and eclectic, ingenious and dense, vigorous and natural, which introduces Chinese character writing from practicality to a realm of paying attention to techniques and interests. Understand the spiritual realm of ancient calligraphers through paper, and then strengthen spiritual communication with the ancients when posting, talk with the ancients, especially understand his life experience, observe and explore his attitude and understanding of art and natural things. In other words, we should ask more why and do more in-depth philosophical thinking. With the improvement of knowledge and the growth of knowledge, I gradually sorted out the context, and then when I post or write, I have a feeling of writing a book with my heart.
To learn the calligraphy of "Two Kings", we should not only learn its techniques and copy its fonts, but also learn his own spirit of learning calligraphy, enter Wang Xizhi's spiritual world and appreciate his realm and feelings. Due to the long history, the original works of the "Two Kings" have been handed down from generation to generation, and naturally there are very few. Therefore, in addition to the works of the two kings, we should also learn from what the two kings have learned, such as Zhiyong in Yuan Dynasty, Huai Su, Zhang Xu, Yan Zhenqing, Song Sijia, Zhao Mengfu and Wang Duo in Ming Dynasty. There are many works handed down from generation to generation by these people. Learning from them and absorbing good nutrition can also be an important way of learning.
In modern times, there were many successful calligraphers who studied the "Two Kings", such as Shen and Bai Jiao, masters of Shanghai School. Bai Jiao's works, in particular, were appraised by Sha Menghai, a master of modern calligraphy, as the most successful "two kings" scholars in the past three hundred years. Bai Jiao's works are natural, can be put away freely, and there is no suspicion of affectation, which is also the result of his character and cultivation reaching a certain level. However, there are not many books in Baijiao, and I only have one of his "Random Miscellanies". Over the past few years, I have copied "Miscellaneous Notes on Lan Titles" for dozens of times, and I deeply feel that Bai Jiao's works are the best representatives of the spirit of "two kings". Learning from this approachable person will definitely become a very important part of my future calligraphy study, which can make my book more essential.
The book style of Two Kings is my favorite, and it will become my main learning direction. Calligraphy can cultivate temperament and enlighten life. We should learn from the ancients and nature. We should learn from the ancients, learn from nature, feel, understand, experience, create and improve. Only in this way can their thoughts and spirits become our inexhaustible spiritual wealth.