How can a calligrapher reach the pinnacle of art? Throughout the ages, literati and poets have given different answers. In the eyes of military calligrapher Wang Xunmo, the value of art is the reflection of the calligrapher's personality value. As the saying goes, a good person is like water and a letter is like a human being. "Success is determined by personality." Let us enter Wang Xunmo's calligraphy world, appreciate General Mo Duan's wandering military temperament, and understand the unique and charming art world of military calligraphers.
Wang Xunmo’s personality and moral character
“Writing characters comes first, and people have unique characters since ancient times.” Whether before or after he became famous, General Wang Xunmo was as humble and low-key as ever, and he was willing to help others. In the eyes of his colleagues, Wang Xunmo can always "think about what others think and worry about what others need", and provides selfless help to others when they need it most. From senior leaders to ordinary soldiers, everyone respects him; In the eyes of his family, Wang Xunmo is a good son and brother. "Filial piety comes first among all good deeds". Considering that his parents were getting older, Wang Xunmo brought his two elders from his hometown in Pingdu to the place of work to support them. Wang Xunmo’s persistence in the art of calligraphy is not only out of interest, but also to contribute to the cultural construction of the army. As long as he has time, he will participate in calligraphy exchange activities between retired army cadres and company soldiers, connect local calligraphers to send calligraphy art to military camps, and enjoy an artistic feast with people's soldiers. Wang Xunmo doesn't like to "appear in public" and rarely exhibits his works unless required by the army, but "the aroma of wine is not afraid of the depth of the alley". In recent years, as his calligraphy skills have improved, his reputation has become more and more popular. He successively became a member of the presidium of Shanghai Calligraphers Association, vice chairman of Shandong Calligraphers Association, and vice chairman of China Hard Pen Calligraphy Association. What followed was that the "gold content" of his works continued to rise, and the number of people asking for words increased day by day. However, he always adhered to the principle of only communicating and not selling for money. Both senior leaders and ordinary people treated everyone equally and responded to their requests, which is quite admirable. . "Virtue is never alone, it must have neighbors." General Wang's conduct has been widely praised both within and outside the industry, and he has gained a lot of sincere friendship. Calligrapher Liu Xiaoqing once expressed her different views on his calligraphy to Wang Xunmo in person. Unexpectedly, General Wang was "happy after hearing it", which made Liu Xiaoqing sigh with emotion: "With such a mind, how can we not achieve great things!" Wang Xunmo His "good temper" allowed him to make friends with many celebrities, well-known scholars and experts. Dexian often invited friends and acquaintances to talk about calligraphy and art, which further promoted the improvement of his calligraphy art.
Wang Xunmo’s calligraphy achievements
In early November 2012, the “General Wang Xunmo Calligraphy Art Exhibition” was successfully held at the Shandong Provincial Museum. This was his first exhibition in June 2011. After holding a personal calligraphy exhibition in Shanghai, he once again showed off his masterpieces to calligraphy art lovers. This calligraphy exhibition was a feast for the eyes of exhibitors inside and outside the military who loved his works. Since 2006, more and more of General Wang Xunmo's works have appeared in various calligraphy exhibitions: in 2007, he was selected for the National Calligraphy Masters Exhibition and won the first prize; in 2008, he was selected for the Fourth All-Army Calligraphy Exhibition ; In 2009, it was exhibited in the Exhibition of Works by Famous Calligraphy Masters from China, Japan and South Korea (Japan); in 2010, it was included in the Exhibition of Works by Famous Calligraphy and Painting Masters of the Shanghai Style, the Sixth International Exhibition of Works by Famous Calligraphy and Painting Masters, the Shanghai World Expo Chinese Art Works Exhibition, and the Ninth China, Japan and Korea Cultural Man Calligraphy Exhibition (South Korea); in 2011, participated in the 5th Army Calligraphy Works Exhibition, National Ministers and Generals Calligraphy Exhibition, Hundreds of Generals and Ministers Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition, Chinese Celebrities and Masters Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition, National Calligraphy to Commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Revolution of 1911 Exhibition of works by famous artists and works by famous Shanghai-style calligraphers and calligraphers; in 2012, it was included in the collections of the Yan'an Revolution Memorial Hall, the Chinese Revolutionary Military Museum, the Hong Kong Traditional Chinese Painting Academy, the National Museum of Korea, and the Tokyo Museum of Japan. In addition, newspapers and online media such as "The People's Liberation Army Daily", "China Calligraphy and Painting News", "World Chinese Elite", "People's Political Consultative Conference" and other newspapers and online media have successively published General Wang's works, and Shanghai TV has also made a special program for him. Many famous museums, calligraphy and painting academies at home and abroad have collections of his works, and some of his stone sculptures have been published in the Forest of Steles. Wang Xunmo’s fame has truly shown people what it means to “accumulate but not gain”. In the past 40 years, Wang Xunmo has been writing non-stop. Even though Wang Xunmo himself is low-key and humble, he still can't hide the shock that his superb skills bring to people. The light of gold can't be concealed, so "one stroke shocked the world".
Wang Xunmo’s calligraphy style
Anyone familiar with Wang Xunmo’s calligraphy will be attracted by the sword spirit in his works, which is inseparable from his military career of.
Wang Xunmo was born in Pingdu, Shandong. He loved calligraphy since he was a child. When he was in middle school, he became a well-known "little calligrapher" in his hometown. After joining the army in 1973, Wang Xunmo started a new life. The army is a melting pot, which hone the steel temperament of every soldier. The bold character of a Shandong man and the resoluteness of a military commander gave Wang Xunmo his military temperament, and also elevated his calligraphy art to a level beyond the reach of ordinary people. Fang Xiaoru of the Ming Dynasty once commented on Zhao Mengfu's calligraphy in "Xunzhizhai Collection": "Zhao Ziang's calligraphy is like a Cheng who doesn't know the generals, and his orders are strict, and he doesn't let anything go beyond the law." Wang Xunmo's calligraphy, like Zhao Mengfu's, strictly follows the rules The law is quite the style of a general. His works are simple and solemn in large seal script, green and straight, elegant and serene in small seal script, elegant and neat, which give people the visual beauty of bold and bold writing, dripping ink, grand and dignified momentum, and elegant and free meaning. His cursive calligraphy is unique, showing a heroic spirit of strategizing and fighting against the sky. It has the potential to fly in the sky, spread its wings and soar. In addition, what is even more amazing about Wang Xunmo is his self-created couplets. Su Dongpo once said: "The method of writing calligraphy, if the knowledge is shallow and the learning is insufficient, will not be good." The "knowledge" and "learning" of a calligrapher determine the taste of calligraphy. In 2003, Wang Xunmo was admitted to Tongji University to pursue a master's degree. While studying in the graduate class, he used his spare time to systematically study the history of Chinese calligraphy and Chinese literature, and conducted in-depth discussions on the relationship between calligraphy and poetry, which greatly improved the quality of his simultaneous creation of poems and books. Wang Xunmo's poetry works have high ideological, philosophical, artistic and strong flavor of life. In particular, the dozens of metrical poems published in newspapers and periodicals not only have lofty intentions and rich connotations, but also have refined words and sentences and blended scenes. "The tip of the pen is full of sword energy, and the wind is blowing at the bottom of the wrist. A few lines of words are revealed on the paper, and the ink is filled with countless emotions." There are only two crosses, a vivid splash-ink picture. In the poem, the four words "sheng", "qi", "through" and "lian" are used vividly and wonderfully, which has the effect of "two sentences and three years", and the feeling of "one chant and two tears". Another example is his "Huanxi Sand" and "Fu Yun on the Plane": "The boundless flow flows freely, covering the sky and the ground, always leisurely, raining at will for thousands of years. It is hard to cover the sun with rolling waves, but it is easy to sail in the vast vastness, and the silver eagle spreads its wings to accompany the poem." "The famous calligrapher Liu Xiaoqing once commented that it is "like a piccolo's clear music, chanting the leisurely and casual mood of the clouds in the sky." Another example is the congratulatory couplet he created at the All-Army Calligraphy Exhibition to commemorate the 30th anniversary of reform and opening up: "The thirty-year-old chapter is full of strategy, and the words are full of tigers and leopards; the calligraphy of thousands of troops directly expresses their thoughts, and the pen is written with a dragon and a snake at the end of the wrist." The counterpoints are neat and heroic. Soaring to the sky, the turbulent spirit of reform and opening up in the past thirty years is vividly reflected on the paper, which can be called a good couplet.
Wang Xunmo’s insights on calligraphy
In Wang Xunmo’s article “Inspirations on Linchi”, he expressed his understanding of the art of calligraphy: Calligraphy is a science, and it can be To enrich one's self-cultivation, cultivate sentiments, and improve the quality of life and work; calligraphy is also an art, which can be pursued as a career to realize certain values ??in life; calligraphy is also a product, especially in market economy conditions Next, it can be operated as a commodity to obtain certain economic benefits... The social definition of calligraphy is very broad, and how to understand it and grasp it will make people show different value orientations and life pursuits. Wang Xunmo believes that the reason why an excellent calligrapher is excellent is inseparable from his character. As the saying goes, "The quality of calligraphy has always been the character of a scholar, and the elegance of a scholar can be understood." Chinese calligraphy has been a matter of thousands of years. The vast intellectual community explores and constructs a spiritual home with rich connotations and various expressions in the abstract world of Chinese characters. It is a kind of spiritual art that is both expressive, lyrical and practical. "The calligraphers and calligraphers of the past dynasties, such as Cai Jing and Qin Hui in the Song Dynasty, and Yan Song in the Ming Dynasty, all had honorable titles and high-quality calligraphy and literature. Why would later generations discard them and forget them and not pass them on? In fact, their great integrity has been lost, and the rest of their skills are even less valuable. It’s only a penny.” It can be seen that the artist’s character has a huge impact on his artistic achievements. A person with progressive thoughts and noble personality may not necessarily be an excellent calligrapher, but an excellent calligrapher must have progressive thoughts and noble personality. Therefore, Wang Xunmo believes that the most important qualities of a calligraphy artist are pen and ink skills and character education. From ancient times to the present, the best is as good as water, and the best as writing is as human beings; works should be both physical and spiritual, and calligraphy should be both moral and artistic.
Especially in the contemporary social and economic environment, the art of calligraphy has become difficult to control because it is increasingly associated with money and fame. It is even more necessary for calligraphers to strengthen their own moral cultivation and knowledge in order to remain invincible in the artistic trend. land. The admiration for noble character made Wang Xunmo think a lot about the inheritance of national culture in his life. Wang Xunmo said that in recent years, more and more soldiers, students, and calligraphy enthusiasts have written to him to explore the art of calligraphy. In his replies, Wang Xunmo would warn them one by one that it is understandable to devote themselves to the study of calligraphy after completing their main work. At the same time, they should regard calligraphy as a major event that inherits Chinese art and revitalizes national culture. "Be worried when the world is worried first, and be happy when the world is happy." The patriotic portrayal of Fan Wenzhenggong more than a thousand years ago was truly displayed in General Wang Xunmo. From Wang Xunmo's poetic couplets, we understand the distant artistic conception; from his ink strokes, we experience the combination of calligraphy and sword; from his resolute face, we feel the awe-inspiring righteousness; from his eyes, we see To be broad and profound. The fundamental attribute of art is love, beauty, the expression of emotion, and the experience of life. I believe that the artistic flowers watered by General Wang’s personality will bloom even more dazzlingly.
(Text/Li Yilin)