This time, I mainly visited the exhibition hall of calligraphy works in Shanghai Museum, which was a visual feast. As the preface at the entrance of the exhibition hall says, "China's writing is a single language symbol formed according to the law of referring objects and pictographs, while calligraphy is the art of expressing Chinese characters with lines by using brush as a tool."
Undeniably, the writing style of Chinese characters in China is constantly changing with the progress of social civilization. China Chinese characters written with a brush are very particular about brushwork, typesetting and composition, so they are always the most aesthetic and artistic.
My hometown is Lanting in Shaoxing. I have taken calligraphy classes since I was a child. From holding a pen to writing a complete Chinese character, I finally managed to finish a work. It took me six years, and my affection for calligraphy changed from novelty at the beginning to love after a period of boredom.
But at that time, the knowledge of calligraphy works and calligraphers was limited to Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Ou Yangxun, Zhao Mengfu and Wang Xizhi.
Now I have listened to the teacher's explanation in the calligraphy appreciation class and visited the Shanghai Museum, and I feel suddenly enlightened. Calligraphy, as an art, is far beyond what I know.
First of all, calligraphy is divided into five fonts: seal script, official script, cursive script, running script and uppercase. Each calligrapher's words under the five fonts have their own characteristics, forming a rich genre. Secondly, the art of calligraphy develops and progresses with the development of society and times. Each era has its own characteristics and styles, and the styles are diverse.
For example, calligraphy in Sui Dynasty is characterized by variety, singularity, regular script and cursive script, while calligraphy in Song Dynasty is characterized by subjective interest. At the beginning of Yuan Dynasty, Zhao Mengshun advocated respecting ancient calligraphy and inherited the calligraphy style of Jin and Tang Dynasties, forming a dignified, simple and fluent calligraphy style.
I benefited a lot from this trip to Shanghai Museum. I not only saw the works of many famous calligraphers, but also learned about the different characteristics and styles of calligraphy in different dynasties. However, due to subjective factors such as poor understanding of calligraphy and poor appreciation ability, I can only make the above simple feelings about calligraphy appreciation in past dynasties.