I have been studying calligraphy since I was a teenager for more than thirty years. During this period, he held more than 0 exhibitions of personal calligraphy works 10, and his works won many awards, which were collected by China Art Museum, Chinese Painting Research Institute, Military Museum and other units. For so many years, I was mainly engaged in calligraphy creation, but I didn't study calligraphy theory enough, and I didn't sum up my own journey. Today, I can only talk about my fragmentary feelings, communicate with you and get your help.
(1) My first feeling is that it is important to love every line of work. Only "love" and persistent love can have inexhaustible motivation and passion for struggle.
I was born in Fufeng, Shaanxi, and my father was a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty. His article is well written, and so is his handwriting. Influenced by my family, I became interested in writing since I was a child. Seeing that I have a little aura, my father taught me some common sense of writing and made me practice hundreds of words every day. 15 years old, border guards of Xinjiang Military Region recruited troops in our county. I heard that my handwriting is very good, and they took me to the army. When I arrived at the army, the company cadres thought I was thin and afraid of too much training, so they asked me to cook and feed the pigs. The company trains and is on duty all day, and there is no condition to practice calligraphy. I feel itchy after not writing for a few days. I had no choice but to feed the pigs, carry a basin of water, dip branches and straws in the water and write and draw in the open space outside the pigsty. Once, I helped the cookhouse squad kill chickens. Accidentally grabbed a plucked chicken feather and dipped it in water to write a few words. It feels different. So, I collected chicken feathers and made five or six kinds of chicken brushes according to their length. The comrades in your company saw that I was so infatuated, and even bought me some bottles of ink, put away the newspapers I read in each class and let me practice my handwriting. With everyone's support, I am more motivated to write. In order to repay the concern of the company's cadres, apart from raising pigs, I contracted out the work of the company's blackboard newspaper and wall newspaper, and even the comrades in the company were very happy. As a soldier for several years, I scrimped and saved my pocket money as much as possible and bought some paper and ink. Other people's toothpaste can often be used for one and a half months, and I can use it for two months. I can't squeeze it out. I have to cut the toothpaste with scissors and scrape it clean. It's not a waste. It was under such conditions that I started. Some people say that love is the best teacher. I am convinced of this sentence. A person's life must be one thing, and it can't be smooth sailing. To overcome difficulties, the most important thing is to have an eternal love for what you want to do. With love, you don't know the pain in pain and the difficulty in difficulty.
(2) My second feeling is that the art of calligraphy is a comprehensive art, with Gan Kun in the word and Kung Fu outside the book. A person's knowledge, knowledge and taste, that is, comprehensive quality, determine the level of books and works. The process of learning books is the process of learning more knowledge and accomplishment. In this regard, I insist on the "three studies":
The first is to learn calligraphy. The predecessors in the calligraphy world have profound knowledge and accomplishments. It can be said that asking them for advice and trying to stand on the shoulders of giants is a shortcut to learning calligraphy. As early as the early 1980s, I came to the world of books with a blank sheet of paper and 50 works created in several years on my back. It was really fearless at that time, and everyone dared to look for it. Qi Gong heard that I come from the northwest, and I am a young man who likes calligraphy. He was glad to see me at home. He put aside his busy work, read and commented on my works one by one, and talked a lot about calligraphy creation for more than 40 minutes. I am very encouraged by his old man's advice. Over the years, with this fearless spirit, I have visited famous artists such as Shu Tong, Li Feng, Xuan Xian, He Yin, Ouyang, Xia. It can be said that the improvement of my calligraphy level has a lot to do with their guidance. From my contact with famous artists, I deeply felt their affability. The more learned people are, the less arrogant they are and the more approachable they are. From them, I not only learned the art of calligraphy, but also learned how to be a man.
The second is rich history. In order to pursue the true meaning of art, I not only listened to the teacher's instruction and practiced hard, but also took advantage of the opportunity of traveling and leaving the army to appreciate the high sky, thick soil and human landscape in northwest China. Everywhere I went, I carefully studied and copied the words left on antiquities in various eras. Painted pottery of Han bamboo slips unearthed in the desert, Oracle Bone Inscriptions, Zhong Ding and bricks collected in museums, Buddhist classics hidden in Buddhist caves and temples along the ancient Silk Road, and broken epitaphs have all become my treasures. In recent years, some calligraphers have read my works and commented that my works "can obviously learn from the ancients" and "the attainments in calligraphy are largely influenced and infected by the rich cultural accumulation in the northwest". It can be seen that my efforts in this regard have not been in vain.
The third is to learn from the writing content. Calligraphy works, often writing some ancient poems. Over the years, I have always insisted that every time I write a work, I should have a thorough understanding of the writing content, write creative notes and constantly improve my literary accomplishment and writing ability. For example, Liu Yuxi's "Wuyi Lane" wrote: "There are wild grass flowers on the Suzaku Bridge, and the sunset at the entrance of Wuyi Lane is oblique. In the old society, Wang Xietang died in front of swallows and flew into the homes of ordinary people. " I read the word "true colors". I wrote in my creative notes: "Wild grass and wild flowers are natural. Ordinary people, the true colors of life. The princes will have no seeds, and all living beings will have roots. " Insist on reading and writing, which not only increases the knowledge, but also improves the expressive force of the works. I feel that the process of practicing calligraphy is also a process of improving my knowledge and accomplishment. As long as you work hard, you can kill two birds with one stone, improve your calligraphy level and make progress in your knowledge.
(3) My third feeling is that learning books is learning to be a man. Calligraphy is the externalization of personality. Writing is about thinking, quality and accomplishment. Only by improving one's knowledge and strengthening one's character cultivation can one continuously climb the peak of art. Over the years, while studying, I have also gained some insights, which I think is very beneficial to warn and motivate myself. Here, I list a few for your reference:
1. "Looking back at the history of calligraphy in China, how many people have really become' home'? It is not difficult to call yourself' home', and it is not easy to really get married. Books must have such sobriety. Don't think about' home', the important thing is to bury your head in practice. " I often use this sentence to urge myself to endure loneliness and lay a good foundation. If a person wants to do something and succeed, he can't help interacting with loneliness. The word fame and fortune is the most unavoidable word in the world, and the most harmful word is fame and fortune. Stay away from excitement and impetuousness, and you can make a difference.
Second, "good calligraphy works, such as mountain peaks, spires and axe blades, are all the results of accumulation." In my opinion, Su Shi's "thick accumulation and thin hair" reveals the success of famous artists in past dynasties. Hair is sparse, not for writing and practicing, but for writing and practicing hard. Thin hair is based on the accumulation of hard work and hard training. In other words, it's easy not to make a move. What you do is that you try again and again, know it by heart, and you have to write it. With this pursuit, works can be remembered and preserved.
Third, "it is not difficult to write like the ancients, and it is not difficult to have a personality. What is difficult is' nothing has no origin, and nothing belongs to others'. " I understand that innovation is to form its own characteristics on the basis of mastering the essence of predecessors. Culture and culture, in a word. In other words, after thinking, understanding, grasping and spitting about what you eat, you can form your own style. Bringing forth the old and bringing forth the new is essentially to know the old and bring forth the new. If you don't understand "Chen", innovation will become passive water, a tree without roots, and it is no different from nonsense.
Fourth, "there is no end to learning, and there is no end to skill". Being satisfied day by day can only degenerate day by day. "Some people say that the art of calligraphy is a comprehensive masterpiece of life and art. It has no page number and no end. It is a bottomless pit that several generations and dozens of generations cannot study in depth. I agree with this sentence. There is a story about an apprentice who felt that he had learned enough and was ready to start, so he said goodbye to his master. The master asked him to Kazuhiro Mori bowl of stones and asked, "Is it full?" The apprentice replied, "It's full! "Master grabbed a handful of sand, mixed it in a bowl and didn't overflow. He asked, "Is it full?" "Full!" The apprentice replied. The master grabbed another handful of lime, mixed it into the bowl and asked, "Is it full?" The apprentice replied, "It's full! The master poured another glass of water, but it still didn't overflow ... the question and answer between master and apprentice was intriguing. The art of calligraphy is never satisfied. Even if we spend our whole life studying and practicing hard, we don't know if we can leave a word in history.
(4) Finally, I want to talk about some technical problems in learning calligraphy:
First, don't take calligraphy too mysterious. Some people boast that calligraphy is fantastic, as if most people can't master it. This is actually an ignorance of calligraphy. Mr. Qi Gong opposes mysterious calligraphy. He said that "some people make calligraphy too mysterious, such as Jin Fa, Tang Fa, Shen Pin, Yipin and many strange metaphors", which makes people puzzled. In talent science, there is a view that everyone can become a talent. Applying this viewpoint to the art of calligraphy, it can also be said that everyone can become a calligrapher. Calligraphy, as a kind of writing art, is regular. As long as you study hard and are good at thinking, you can master it. Of course, calligraphy, like other arts, is easier to get started than to learn. After learning calligraphy to a certain extent, it is not easy to innovate and form a style.
The second is to study hard. Some people say that calligraphy is written. This "writing" has several meanings: first, you must have determination, and doing one thing is to achieve one thing. You are half-hearted, and you will learn this today and that tomorrow, and you will achieve nothing in the end; Second, we must have perseverance. In the next few years or even decades, we will not be opportunistic and cold. Third, we should study hard, that is to say, we should be good at thinking, think while writing, constantly sum up and constantly improve. To learn calligraphy, we should not only do it with our hands, but also use our brains to carefully consider the strokes of the ancients and experts. Take your head and practice hard, and you can practice famous tricks.
Third, we should choose the right position and make good use of it. "The Art of War" said: "Take the law and get it; Take the law and get it; Take the law and get it. " It also applies to calligraphy. In the selection of posts, we should not blindly and casually, but should pay attention to choosing first-class and choosing everyone's works. After selecting posts, you should read them carefully, try to figure out their overall layout, structural characteristics, pen method and write them repeatedly, so as to win their trust and get their true meaning. Another thing to note is not to change jobs at will. Learn beauty today, learn willow tomorrow, and learn nothing.
The fourth is to write feelings. "Books draw for the heart". Calligraphy works are expressions of the author's true feelings. I often think of the Tibetan poem in memory of Lu Xun: "Some people are alive, but they are dead;" Some people are dead and he is still alive ... "What an ordinary word, however, this ordinary word has shocking power because it is full of emotion. Calligraphy works have vitality only if they are full of feelings and strokes. Reading Yue Fei's Return My Rivers and Mountains, we can easily feel the author's surging patriotic passion. So I advocate that writing is writing thoughts and feelings. In the face of what you want to write, you must have a deep understanding, have a feeling in your heart, and be fascinated by writing.
Fifth, don't seek differences for the sake of seeking differences. Some people have an incorrect understanding of seeking difference and innovation, and kung fu is not at home. They blindly seek change and innovation, and the things they write stagger and think they are beautiful. Calligraphy is a beautiful book, not an ugly one. "Better ugly than flattering" is aimed at kitsch, and there is no better meaning of ugliness than beauty. And what we usually call "clumsy" is not ugly. Stupidity is a natural beauty and a perfect work. Clumsiness can only expose shallowness and emptiness. To learn calligraphy, you still have to work hard and pursue success.
Text/Chen Fujun