Ancient writing system: Oracle Bone Script - Zhongdingwen - Seal Script
Modern Writing System: Official Script - Cursive Script - Running Script - Regular Script
The evolution of Chinese calligraphy:
Calligraphy is a unique traditional art in China. The ideographic nature and unique structure of Chinese characters provide prerequisites for the art of calligraphy. The development of calligraphy fonts follows the order of seal, official, cursive, regular script and behavior.
1. The emergence of calligraphy art
Oracle bone inscriptions originated in the middle and late Shang Dynasty. The strokes are all single lines, thin and powerful, and sometimes show off their edge. The layout is mostly vertical rows, with scattered rows, varying sizes, and regular density. These earliest Chinese character relics already possess the three elements of calligraphy: brushwork, composition, and character knotting.
Therefore, the emergence of oracle bone inscriptions laid the foundation of our country's calligraphy art and marked the emergence of our country's calligraphy art. The bronze inscriptions that appeared in the Shang and Zhou dynasties are also called "Zhongdingwen". Judging from the remains of the bronze inscriptions, the artistry of calligraphy has gradually become richer.
2. The development of calligraphy art
After the unification of Qin , Qin Shihuang ordered that "cars run on the same track, and books use the same text." Prime Minister Li Si popularized Xiaozhuan, and Xiaozhuan became the official writing. The unification of characters laid the foundation for the maturity of calligraphy art. Judging from Li Si's "Taishan Stone Carvings", Xiaozhuan has the characteristics of long and flat characters, mostly single strokes, and complex structure, making it difficult to sketch as an official text. As a result, the official script, which has a relatively simple structure and turns circles into square folds with strokes, making it easy to write quickly, came into being. By the Han Dynasty, official script gradually occupied a dominant position, became the official standard font, and entered a period of stereotypes. The official script of the Han Dynasty has straight strokes, simple structure and obvious pauses, especially the inscriptions, which are exquisite.
When people use words, they always want them to be easier to recognize and easier to write, especially when things are urgent and busy. At the same time, in the evolution from seal script to official script, cursive script came into being due to the development of fast writing and brushwork.
3. The maturity of calligraphy art
The Three Kingdoms, Two Jins, Southern and Northern Dynasties is an important period in the history of Chinese calligraphy. In the process of development, the art of calligraphy has formed the following characteristics: First, the cursive, regular script and xing styles have become fully mature, and the technical system of Chinese calligraphy has basically formed. Although the techniques of later generations have been enriched and changed on this basis, there is no essential breakthrough.
The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of China’s feudal society. At that time, the unprecedented prosperity of social economy provided material conditions for the development of literature and art. The exciting mind and mentality of the Tang people formed by the broad atmosphere of the Tang Dynasty are reflected in the free and easy, magnificent and broad momentum in the art of calligraphy. The highest achievement of calligraphy art in the Tang Dynasty was regular script. Today there is still a saying that "learning regular script starts from the Tang Dynasty". His representative works include "Duobao Pagoda Stele" by Yan Zhenqing and "Mysterious Pagoda Stele" by Liu Gongquan. They may be majestic and solemn, upright and thick, reflecting the atmosphere of the prosperous Tang Dynasty; or they may be strong, even and thin, reflecting the calligraphy idea of ??the calligrapher that "a correct heart leads to a correct pen". During the Tang Dynasty, Chinese calligraphy art entered its heyday.
4. The art of calligraphy has entered the era of individualization
After the Song Dynasty, fonts have no major achievements or breakthroughs. They only incorporate their own style on the original basis and focus on giving full play to their individuality. Due to the relatively loose political environment in the Song Dynasty, rulers valued literature over martial arts. Calligraphy became an art generally favored by literati, and casual running script was particularly popular.
The calligraphers of the Qing Dynasty relatively completely developed the two major traditions of Chinese calligraphy art, and played a role in inheriting the development of modern Chinese calligraphy art.