reading posts is the premise of posting. Careful reading of posts can deepen the understanding of brushwork, composition, gesture and meaning. After a long time, it will inevitably form an impression in the mind and naturally appear in the pen. Feng Wu in the Qing Dynasty wrote in The True Story of Calligraphy that "learners should not only know how to use a pen, but also learn about ancient calligraphy, and be skillful in structural arrangement, spacing between lines, and taking care of ups and downs. They are all tacitly aware of it, so that when they write, they will be able to start a family." From a practical point of view, whether you can read the post carefully is also an important sign to see whether a learner has settled down and really wants to learn calligraphy.
Ancient monuments and famous stickers often have a strong attraction for those who carefully taste them. In the Song Dynasty, Zhu Changwen said in "Continued Book Break" that "learning from the teacher is less, and it is especially risky. Try to see the tablet written by Suo Jing and observe it. Go for miles and return, and get tired. Sit down and stay at the side. After three days and get the law, it's so good. " From the above passage, it serves to show that Ou Yangxun read the tablet carefully and seriously.
When he saw the stone tablet written by Suo Jing, he loved it very much. After reading it, he still couldn't bear to walk for miles and came back to watch it. When you are tired of standing and watching, just open the bedroll and sit down and watch. At night, I camped on the spot, so I watched it for two or three days before I reluctantly left. Whether this record is true or not, no matter which tablet you read, there is no evidence to test, but his spirit of studying is directly related to his later success.
The link of reading posts seems to be simpler than that of posting posts. It is necessary to read them effectively, profitably and correctly.
1. Careful observation
Sun Guoting in the Tang Dynasty wrote in his Book Score that "those who observe are still refined", that is to say, observation must be meticulous. Generally speaking, beginners should synchronize the two links:' reading' and' facing'. Read what you are facing. According to the order of writing, we can "face-read" the words to be studied one by one, starting from the basic "cells" that make up the words. First look at the shape, trend, texture and weight of stippling, and then look at the process of starting, transporting and collecting each stippling. In his book On Calligraphy, Mr. Shen Yinmo said, "Play with the seven photos of Mi Lao that you are carrying around. If you have any understanding of the phrase "I'm sorry that there is no original Suo Jing, but look at the place where he wrote it" in the post. That is, he does not say that he uses a pen, but that he writes. This word "down" is very measured. I followed his instructions, read all the words in his seven posts, and noticed every place where I wrote. It suddenly dawned on me that this is the way to use a pen. Otherwise, the pen will not be able to hit; Otherwise, it's not easy to be right, and it's not appropriate to communicate with each other. After understanding this truth, I set out to visit the famous calligraphy books of the past dynasties at will, carefully seeking their similarities, and found the similarities, which are exactly the same as when I wrote. This is the center. I have to agree with each other, and everything else may be different. " Shen Lao's experience in reading posts is very interesting to ponder carefully.
When reading the post, you can also compare the stippling. For example, in a word, how to deal with the same stippling, and how different stippling is in reality and thickness, we should compare and analyze it. The difference between a certain point in a word and the thickness of a painting is often several times or even more than ten times. If you don't look carefully, you will ignore the stippling with a great contrast between the thickness and the thickness, so you will inevitably be confused when writing, and you will not be able to learn "like". When observing the structure, we should first distinguish which painting is the main pen of the word, what kind of relationship position is between stippling, how to connect and echo, and find out the regular things from it.
When reading lines and cursive scripts, we should look at them not only from stippling and font, but also from the whole line and even the whole article. The specific stippling of cursive script completely obeys the overall situation of composition, and the position and function of a word and a stippling in a word are different, so the treatment methods are different. The formula of traditional Chinese medicine is "monarch, minister, assistant and envoy", and China's painting method is "initiation, inheritance, transformation and combination". Calligraphy is exactly the same as these sister arts in principle. Words in an important position use more pen and ink in stippling, exaggerating, magnifying and occupying more places. And in the position of connecting the preceding with the following, it will be converged, narrowed and abnormal. In a word, there are some reasons why some words are important, some words are thin and some words are skewed. Many people don't understand the crooked words in ancient posts and think this is very bad. I don't mean that ancient calligraphers don't have the ability to write every word correctly, nor that they can't grasp the pen in their hands, but they don't call it art if they don't. It's like a dancer performing on the stage. You ask him not to cross his feet, not to lean over, and always stand upright like a arhat in the temple. Is there anyone watching? Therefore, when reading posts, you can also think with reverse thinking. For example, why is a stippling or a word so thick and thin? Why do some people have to be so wide, but why not write narrower? Why are some so crooked? Why can't they be crooked? Can it be tilted more or less? If you don't tilt in this direction, can you tilt in other directions? Ask a few more why, and the post will be read in some depth.
2. remember
on the basis of careful observation, we should remember the shapes and rules of some words and keep the results of reading posts in mind.
Pan Zhizong said in Calligraphy Away from the Hook, "Take the ancient books and read them carefully, close your eyes and search for them. If you have a word in your heart, then raise your pen and chase it. If you compare the words, you will get the second and third, and then you will get four or five. Then you will get a lot of books, and it will not be far from the ancients." The more things you accumulate in your heart, the more convenient it is to use. Huang Qi, a modern calligrapher, also wrote a passage in his Five Essentials of the Book: "We also need to recite and watch the rubbings when reading. Compared with reading, we need to combine watching with memory, and we can't forget them immediately. Song Gaozong studied "Wedge Tie", and he said, "A lot of people have to think about painting in detail, and even recite it." Reading posts to the point where they are unforgettable can be said to turn watching into memory. Chanting' is the result of reading. Read and recite, recite orally; Read the post and recite it. The so-called' writing' is to express the' content' of the chanting in your own writing-this is the purpose of the view. " Everyone has his own way about how to remember. It should be emphasized that this kind of memory is not rote memorization, but a kind of conscious storage and digestive absorption based on understanding.
3. Association
Association is an important link in reading posts. By reading posts, some other problems directly related to writing can be affected. For example, it can be associated with the tools used by the writer, whether the pen is hard or soft, whether the paper is raw or cooked, whether it is written in small print or small pen, etc., which has a direct impact on the post. Secondly, we can associate the author's external conditions and mood in the process of writing. For example, Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, the best running script in the world, was written by Wang Xizhi and other nobles who invited friends with their children and drank wine in spring outing activities. Wang Xizhi expressed his inner feelings when he was intoxicated. From the works of the Tang Dynasty, the literary and artistic calligraphy set each other off, which was full of detached, chic and enjoyable artistic conception. Yan Zhenqing's "Sacrifice to the Nephew", known as the "second running script in the world", is for the purpose of counter-insurgency. In the case that his brother and his nephew were harmed by the rebels and could not be commended by the court, he wrote a eulogy for his deceased nephew Yan Jiming. Looking at his calligraphy works, it seems that he heard the author's grief and affection, thus reflecting the majestic and heroic sadness in his works. Furthermore, you can associate the writing process of the author with pen and ink by reading the post. In the Song Dynasty, Jiang Kui said in the Book of Continuation: "I have tasted the famous books of ancient times, and all the paintings vibrate, as when I see them waving." Especially when reading inscriptions, readers can restore the image of ink in their minds, and then think about how I will write, how to suck ink, how to change the front and how to press if I want to write. Through this kind of association, there will be much more in my heart after posting.