When a calligraphy work is placed in front of us, how to evaluate, how to understand and how to appreciate it are questions that every one of us who are new to calligraphy, and even the majority of readers, are confused and want to know. . Wang Sengqian, a calligrapher of the Southern Dynasties, said in "Praise for the Intention of Writing": "The beauty of calligraphy is first in spirit, followed by form and quality. Only those who combine both can be introduced to the ancients." What he emphasized was that form should be used to describe spirit, and form and spirit should be combined. As a reader, I believe that before reading a work, you must first clarify the aesthetic standards for calligraphy appreciation. This is the basis for correct calligraphy appreciation. The second is to master the method of calligraphy appreciation, which is the key to calligraphy appreciation.
1. Aesthetic standards of calligraphy. Generally speaking, "shape" includes dotted lines and the resulting spatial structure of calligraphy; "spirit" mainly refers to the brilliance of calligraphy. 1) Dotted lines of calligraphy. The stippling lines of calligraphy have infinite expressive power. They are abstract in nature, and the calligraphy image formed has no specific meaning, but it must contain all the beautiful qualities. In this way, special requirements are put forward for the stipple lines of calligraphy. It is required to have a sense of power, rhythm and three-dimensionality.
1. The sense of power of stipple lines is one of the elements of line beauty. It is a metaphor for the power that drawing lines evoke in the human heart. As early as the Han Dynasty, Cai Yong's "Nine Movements" made a special study of pointillism lines, pointing out that "hide the head and protect the tail, and the power is in the words", "make the center of the pen always move in the pointillism", "when the pointillism is exhausted, the power is collected" Of". It is required that the pointillism should be deep in the corner, must be taken in as it goes, and have a beginning and an end, so as to show the strength. It should be noted that we emphasize hiding the head and protecting the tail, which does not mean that the middle lines can be ignored. The strokes in the middle must be centered, so that the stipple lines are round and gentle, gentle but not soft, and contain strength. However, the starting and ending points of the stipple lines are not always hidden and sharp (both large seal script and small seal script must hide the sharp edge). In calligraphy, hidden and exposed are often combined according to needs, especially in cursive script, which is ever-changing. When appreciating, you should pay attention to the continuity and response of the beginning and end, and also pay attention to whether the middle section is smooth and thin. 2. Rhythm Rhythm refers to the regular changes in pitch, intensity, and length of notes in music. Due to the different force and speed of calligraphy during the creation process, calligraphy produces regular alternating changes in different shapes such as weight, thickness, length, size, etc., which creates a rhythm in the stipple lines of calligraphy. The strokes of Chinese characters vary in length and size, which further enhances the rhythm of dotted lines in calligraphy. Generally speaking, static calligraphy (such as seal script, official script, regular script) has a weak sense of rhythm, while dynamic calligraphy (running script, cursive script) has a strong sense of rhythm and rich changes. 3. Three-dimensional sense. The three-dimensionality is the result of the center's use of the pen. The strokes written by the center, "viewed against the sun, there is a thick line of ink in the center of the painting, right in the middle, and as for the fold, there is no deviation in the middle." In this way, the stipple lines can be full, round, thick and round. Therefore, the center's pen has always been valued. However, we cannot find that side-stroke pens can be found everywhere in calligraphy creation. Except for Xiaozhuan, all other calligraphy styles are inseparable from flanking. Especially in cursive scripts, wingers can be seen everywhere as a complement and foil to the center.