First, from the perspective of writing tools, it can be mainly divided into three categories: hard pen calligraphy, seal cutting and writing brush.
1, hard pen calligraphy, mainly pen, signature pen, etc. As a writing tool, it is an artistic activity to write Chinese characters on ordinary paper. Hard-pen calligraphy is characterized by its strong practicability, but its disadvantage is that it can't write big characters, lacks pen changes, and can write beautiful words, but its artistry is low!
2, seal cutting, seal cutting is a calligraphy category that has been used since ancient times. The art of using seal cutting knife as a tool, mainly writing backwards on various Yin Zhangshi, then engraving with a knife and covering paper with inkpad.
Seal cutting is also practical calligraphy, which can not only be used as seal proof, but also play a role in enriching pictures in calligraphy and painting works! The disadvantage is that due to the influence of production materials, the available space is small and the artistry is limited!
3, brush calligraphy, formal calligraphy is a writing art that uses a brush as a tool, mainly writing on rice paper, and artistically expressing the lines, structure and composition of Chinese characters.
Second, from the font, calligraphy can be divided into five fonts: seal, official, model, line and grass.
1, seal script, including Oracle Bone Inscriptions, bronze inscriptions, big seal script and small seal script. At present, Shi Guwen and official seal script are the main signs of the maturity of seal script calligraphy. The pen is centered, the strokes are symmetrical, the font is slightly long and neat, and the layout of word spacing and row spacing is basically the same!
2. Official script, developed from Xiao Zhuan in Qin and Han Dynasties. Li Shu, such as Qin Li and Han Li, is generally considered to be developed from seal script, with wide and flat font, long horizontal painting and short vertical painting, and paying attention to "swallow tail of silkworm head" and "three waves".
According to the unearthed bamboo slips, Lishu was founded in Qin Dynasty, saying that Cheng Miao was an Lishu, and Han Li reached its peak in the Eastern Han Dynasty, inheriting the tradition of seal script, which was the first in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties and had a great influence on later calligraphy. There is a saying in calligraphy that "Han Li Tang Kai". Representative works include Cao Quanbei, Zhang Qianbei, Memory of English Monument, etc.
3. Regular script developed from official script to Han bamboo slips and matured in Zhongyou. Wang Xizhi, a great calligrapher in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, completed the foundation work of official script (including official script, running script and cursive script), and the evolution from official script to official script was officially completed. Weibei and Tang Kai are regular script.
The strokes of regular script are characterized by Fiona Fang combination, with the central stroke as the main part and the side strokes as the auxiliary part. The structure is rigorous and the statutes are focused. The layout of the rules is vertical, and the spacing between words and lines is almost the same. In the Tang Dynasty, regular script reached its peak, and representative calligraphers such as Ou Yangxun, Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan appeared.
4, running script, running script is developed from regular script, writing speed is faster than regular script, adding reflections and links, and it is highly practical. The pen is centered, supplemented by the side, smooth, dynamic and artistic, and can be used vertically.
The strokes of the characters can be linked, and the representative works include Preface to Lanting, Yuan Bo Post, Mid-Autumn Post, Sacrifice to My Nephew, Cold Food Post and so on.
5, cursive script, cursive script is developed from seal script, artistry is greater than practicality, because the writing style of regular script is very complete, later generations advocate learning regular script first, then learning running script and cursive script, if we start with seal script, it will increase the entry threshold for people who are learning calligraphy now.
The cursive script is mainly written with a pen in the center, with great speed change, flying white and more free composition! The cursive script evolved from official script is called "Cao Zhang", and "Modern Grass" has matured from "Cao Sheng" Zhang Zhi to Wang Xizhi.
"Zhang Dian Kuang Su" in Tang Dynasty was a representative calligrapher of cursive script, whose representative works included seventeen poems, four ancient poems, self-preface posts and so on.
The significance and charm of calligraphy;
Calligraphy is a symbol of national culture. Calligraphy evolves with the development of history. Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Taoist seal, official script, regular script, cursive script and running script in the early days all took Chinese characters as the carrier, combined with literature, history, aesthetics and other arts, bearing the traditional culture and national spirit.
2. Calligraphy can cultivate people's moral quality and aesthetic ability. Calligraphy has not only practical value, but also aesthetic value. A good calligraphy work can reflect the writer's personality and thoughts and feelings at that time. The process of practicing calligraphy is also the process of the writer discovering beauty, comprehending beauty and creating beauty.
3. Calligraphy can adjust psychological quality and regulate behavior. Learning calligraphy must be calm and persistent. In the process of learning, writers can adjust their emotions and psychology and develop good habits of concentration and patience.