It depends on the knowledge, accomplishment, experience and mood of the viewer.
To appreciate calligraphy, we should not only have a macro grasp of the works, such as momentum, ink, structure, lines, etc., but also appreciate the quality of lines, from which we can observe the author's pen, ink and brushwork when creating. then
It is a Chinese character structure composed of line stippling, which embodies interest and philosophy. Third, white cloth includes spirit, composition and charm, which refers to the spiritual temperament and style of calligraphy. It looks good.
A faithful record of the author's spiritual realm is closely related to the author's emotion, personality and cultivation. Excellent works must be beautiful and full of spirit, both in form and spirit. Appreciators should grasp the body and the spirit.
Pick it.
The artistic style of calligraphy is first manifested in the unique overall style of the work and the unique realm resulting from it, which is closely related to the calligrapher's aesthetic orientation and artistic temperament, and is the art of calligraphers.
The result of pursuing individuality.
The artistic style of calligraphy is the artistic characteristics and creative personality of artists in their creation. Calligraphers are different in life experience, artistic accomplishment, personality characteristics, aesthetic taste and personality
At the same time, it will have its own characteristics in the choice of writing style and expression techniques, thus forming different artistic styles. Style can also best show a person's temperament and mental outlook; This is also
How to appreciate calligraphy works
A calligraphy work is in front of us. How to evaluate, read and appreciate it is a problem that every beginner of calligraphy and even readers are puzzled and want to know. Wang Sengqian, a calligrapher in the Southern Dynasties, said in "Praise of Literary Style": "The wonderful way of a book is that the spirit comes first, followed by the form and quality, and only those who have both can be praised by the ancients". What he emphasized was to write the spirit in form, and to have both form and spirit. As a reader, I think that before reading a work, we should first make clear the aesthetic standards of calligraphy appreciation, which is the basis of correct calligraphy appreciation. Secondly, we should master the methods of calligraphy appreciation, which is the key to calligraphy appreciation.
First, the aesthetic standards of calligraphy
Generally speaking, "shape" includes the stippling lines of calligraphy and the resulting spatial structure; "God" mainly refers to the expressive meaning of calligraphy.
(A) calligraphy stippling lines
The stippling lines of calligraphy have infinite expressive force, which is abstract in itself. The calligraphy image they form has no definite meaning, but should contain all the characteristics of beauty. This puts forward special requirements for the stippling lines of calligraphy. Require a strong sense of quantity, rhythm and three-dimensional sense.
1, sense of strength
The power of stippling lines is one of the elements of line beauty. It is a metaphor, pointing out the sense of power aroused by drawing lines in people's hearts. As early as the Han Dynasty, Cai Yong made a special study on stippling lines in Nine Potential, pointing out that "hiding the head and protecting the tail, the strength lies in the words", "making the pen always walk in stippling" and "making stippling as powerful as possible". It is required that the stippling should be hidden deep in the laurel corner, and what is done will be collected and its power will be obvious. It should be noted that our emphasis on hiding the head and protecting the tail does not mean that we can ignore the midline. The center line pen must take the convergence center, so as to make the stippling lines round and smooth, warm but not soft, and contain strength. But the starting point and ending point of the dotted line are not all hidden in the corner (both large print and small print must hide the front). Calligraphy is often combined with hiding and revealing as needed, especially cursive script. When appreciating it, we should pay attention to the acceptance and echo of the beginning and the end, and whether the middle part is flashy and frivolous.
2. sense of rhythm
Rhythm originally refers to the regular changes in the height, strength and length of notes in music. Because of the different strength and speed of calligraphy in the process of creation, different forms such as thickness, length and size change regularly alternately, which makes the stippling lines of calligraphy have a sense of rhythm. The strokes of Chinese characters are different in length and size, which further strengthens the rhythm of stippling lines in calligraphy. Generally speaking, regular script (such as seal script, official script and regular script) has a weak sense of rhythm, while running script (running script and cursive script) has a strong sense of rhythm and rich changes.
3, three-dimensional sense
The stereoscopic impression is the result of using the pen in the center. The strokes written in the center are "reflected in the sun, and there is thick ink in the center of the painting, which is just in it. As for the fold, there is no deviation." In this way, the dotted lines can be full, round and round. Therefore, the pens used in the center have always been highly valued. However, we can't find the profile that can be seen everywhere in calligraphy creation. Except for Xiao Zhuan, all other calligraphy styles are inseparable from the side edge. Especially cursive script, as a supplement and foil to the center, wingers can be seen everywhere.
(B) the spatial structure of calligraphy
On the premise of following the principles of Chinese font and stroke order, the stippling lines of calligraphy cross-combine and divide the space to form the spatial structure of calligraphy. The spatial structure includes three parts: single word structure, whole line circulation and overall layout.
1, single word structure
The structure of a single word requires neatness, fluency, balance of length and density. In this way, on the basis of caring for the truth, we can pay attention to the decay, intricate changes, natural image, danger in peace and interest in danger.
2, the whole line of qi
In calligraphy works, the characters are connected up and down (or before and after) to form a "linking", which requires coherence from top to bottom. Although the static characters such as regular script, official script and seal script are independent, the strokes are broken and connected. Running script, cursive script and other dynamic characters can be word for word, with hairspring traction. In addition, we should also pay attention to the change of size, positive response, contrast between reality and reality, and the resulting sense of rhythm. In this way, the circulation of qi can be natural and coherent, and blood vessels can be unblocked.
3. Overall layout
In calligraphy works, the combination of dots into characters, hyphens into rows and lines into chapters constitutes the cutting of space by dots, thus adding salt to the overall layout of calligraphy works. It is required that the density between words and between lines is appropriate, and the white is black; Flat and balanced, positive to each other; Rugged and full of changes. Among them, the static characters such as regular script, official script and seal script are mainly fair and balanced; The dynamic characters such as running script and cursive script are complicated and ups and downs.
(C) the spirit of calligraphy
Spirit refers to the air and brilliance on a person's face. The expression in calligraphy refers to the spirit, style, temperament, interest and interest revealed in lines and their structural combinations. "Spirit comes first, shape comes second, and both can be seen in the ancients." It shows that spirit is higher than "form and quality" (the shape and appearance of stippling lines and their structural layout), and form and quality are the premise and foundation of spiritual existence; Therefore, the essence of calligraphy artistic expression is the overall harmony of stippling lines and their spatial combination. Pursuing the spirit and expressing the spirit of nature will always be the highest realm that calligraphers strive to pursue.
On the one hand, the acquisition of calligraphy spirit depends on skillful creative skills, which is the premise and foundation; On the other hand, only when the creative mind is calm and comfortable, the creative center is fluent in both hands, and I forget myself, can I write my true feelings and integrate my knowledge and aesthetic taste.
Second, the method of calligraphy appreciation
Calligraphy appreciation is consistent with other art appreciation and needs to follow the general laws of human cognitive activities. Because of the particularity of calligraphy art, calligraphy appreciation shows uniqueness in methods. Generally speaking, we can start from the following aspects.
1, from whole to part, and then from part to whole.
To appreciate calligraphy, we must first look at the overall situation and have a general impression of its expression and artistic style. Then pay attention to whether the pen, knot, composition, Mo Yun and other parts are lively and lively. After the partial appreciation, we should stand at a distance to observe the overall situation, correct the "overall impression" obtained from the first viewing, and grasp it from a rational height again. Pay attention to whether artistic expression and artistic style are coordinated, where the works are wonderful and where there are shortcomings, and fully appreciate them from both macro and micro perspectives.
2. Restore the static image to the process of motion and expand the association.
Calligraphy works are relatively static as the result of creation. When appreciating, we should follow the author's creative process, adopt the method of "moving the line of sight", imagine the rhythm and strength of the pen and the different changes of the author's feelings in the creative process according to the order of the works, and restore the static image to the process of movement. That is to imitate the author's creative process and correctly grasp the author's creative intention and emotional changes.
3. From the image of calligraphy to the specific image, expand the association and correctly understand the artistic conception of the work.
In the process of calligraphy appreciation, we should fully develop the association, compare the calligraphy image with similar things in real life, and make the calligraphy image concrete. Then, starting from the aesthetic characteristics of things similar to calligraphy images, we further associate the aesthetic value of the works, so as to understand the artistic conception of the works. Appreciating Yan Zhenqing's regular script, we can associate his calligraphy image with specific images such as "Jing Qing presses the sword, Fan Kuai holds the shield, King Kong dazzles, and Lux punches", from which we can draw the following conclusions: strong physique-masculine-full of heroic temperament-neat and inviolable characteristics, and Yan Zhenqing's regular script is linked with dignified and majestic artistic style.
4. Understand the creative background of the work and correctly grasp the emotional appeal of the work.
Any calligraphy work is the accumulation of a certain cultural history and the product of a specific historical and cultural background. Therefore, it is of great benefit to know the creative background (including the creative environment), the unique cultural atmosphere contained in the work, the author's personality cultivation, aesthetic taste, creative mood and creative purpose. In order to correctly understand the author's creative intention and correctly grasp the emotional appeal of the work. In the Qing Dynasty, Wang Shu wrote in the inscription and postscript of "Virtual Boat Tang Yan Zhenqing to Uncle Haozhou": "The manuscript dedicated to Ji Ming was torn to pieces, and his book was frustrated and out of control. This "Gao" is calm, easy to make a guest appearance, and there is no strange promotion like "offering sacrifices to nephews". The so-called music-related party laugh has been sighed. Things are different, so is calligraphy. It should be reasonable. " It can be seen that both the author's personality cultivation, creative mood and creative environment have a considerable impact on the mood of the work. To. In addition, calligraphy works are influenced by the book style and aesthetic fashion of a specific era, which makes calligraphy works reflect a diverse cultural atmosphere. This undoubtedly increases the difficulty of calligraphy appreciation, but also makes calligraphy appreciation interesting.
In short, there is no fixed pattern in the process of calligraphy appreciation due to the influence of personality psychology. The above is just one method of calligraphy appreciation, and several methods can be used alternately in the process of appreciation. In addition, in the process of appreciation, we must comprehensively use all kinds of calligraphy skills, techniques and calligraphy theory knowledge to maximize our aesthetic evaluation ability and try our best to appreciate the artistic conception of the works according to the author's creative intention. We should strive to appreciate and comment, evaluate and reward the work, and put it in a specific historical environment to make a correct appreciation and fair and objective evaluation of the work. Of course, mastering the correct appreciation method is an important way to improve appreciation ability. Yang Xiong said: "You can see a thousand swords before you can see a thousand swords; Can read thousands of fu, and then can fu ",that's what I mean.
It is very difficult to judge the quality of calligraphy, and the subjective factors of the evaluator often play a decisive role. First of all, different hobbies, ups and downs have their own advantages. Some people like to be slender and beautiful, while others like to be thick and rough; Some people prefer regular script, while others prefer vivid and fluent cursive script. Secondly, there are different levels of literary accomplishment and aesthetic taste. Some people pursue realism, while others pursue freehand brushwork; Some people admire tradition, while others admire innovation.
The general way to judge calligraphy is to see whether the overall layout, color and other external forms are unified and coordinated, and whether they are attractive. The overall layout (composition) first attracts the attention of calligraphy itself. The whole regular script, official script and seal script are somewhat similar to group gymnastics, requiring neatness. If the running script is like a line, it should be fluent; Cursive writing is a kind of dancing, which requires one integrated mass, miscellaneous but not chaotic. The first thing that affects a work is its color. The quality of paper, ink, inkpad and seal does not determine the quality of words, but affects the effect of works. Then look at the local details (strokes, structure, brushwork, rhythm, etc. ) See if there is any change in skill and vividness. Dotting is the building material of Chinese characters, and the quality must be excellent. Writing without paying attention to basic strokes is equivalent to picking up some branches and stones and building a house with mud. Calligraphy works consist of a single Chinese character, which consists of multiple strokes, each of which has multiple shapes. By combining dozens of lines with different shapes, various pictures can be formed. There are length, thickness, Fiona Fang, straightness, etc. In appearance, vertical and horizontal, vertical and horizontal, turning, etc. In composition, there are rigidity, softness, fullness, thinness, tenderness, roughness and wildness. The completion of each stroke is divided into three steps: starting, walking and closing. The pen starts with Fiona Fang sharp and hidden changes, and the trajectory of line strokes should be thick and three-dimensional, and the pen should be collected cleanly. The basic requirements of the structure are: flat pen for danger, uneven pen, no cursive writing and no crazy writing. The same font, the same words, the same strokes, a person writing a person's face, just like the five senses have a certain shape and a certain part, which does not prevent people from having their own unique looks and postures. To see whether a single word is well written, besides strokes and shelves, there is another important factor, that is, writing ability. Writing ability is as strong as one's energy, and writing ability is as weak as one's depression. There are two ways to express strength: exposure is suitable for expressing cheerful content, and implication is suitable for expressing profound content. When writing, the pen moves or presses, or moves or stops, and the pen speed is fast or slow, forming a rhythm. A word has a word rhythm, and a word has a word rhythm. The beauty of form is determined by brush strokes, shelves and layout, and expression is determined by strength and rhythm.
When judging calligraphy, we can also judge it from other different angles. Any art should pay attention to difficulty, and calligraphy as an art should also pay attention to difficulty. Calligraphy that is not difficult or not difficult is not called calligraphy, but can only be said to be writing. Stroke by stroke, very weak, no fluctuation, thickness, straightness, Fiona Fang, length without contrast, can not be said to be difficult. Therefore, from a certain point of view, the evaluation of calligraphy is good or bad, as long as there is no difficulty. Difficult calligraphy is generally good, and vice versa. Any art should pay attention to basic skills, and calligraphy as an art should also pay attention to basic skills. If a calligraphy doesn't even pass the basic strokes, the structure can't be discussed, and there is something wrong with the composition, it is definitely not good. Therefore, when we evaluate the quality of calligraphy, we can first look at whether its basic skills have passed the standard, and then look at its degree of innovation.
The specific evaluation of calligraphy depends on the number of calligraphy works, and different methods are adopted: First, the evaluation of a large number of people's calligraphy generally only adopts the comparison method to survive the fittest. For example, due to the limitation of places, only a few good exhibitions were selected, and a large number of relatively poor exhibitions were unsuccessful. These good ones are better, but they may not be very good calligraphy; These unsuccessful calligraphies are relatively poor, but they may also be quite good. The second is to evaluate the quality of a person's calligraphy works, which is generally evaluated by combining comparative method and analytical method. If someone holds a personal calligraphy exhibition, people will judge which calligraphy is good, which calligraphy is bad, which calligraphy is good and which calligraphy is bad, and carefully analyze which parts of a calligraphy are good and which parts are bad. The third is to evaluate a person's calligraphy, generally only through analysis.
People who don't know calligraphy often ask me what kind of calligraphy is good. Then I will answer this big question in an easy-to-understand way. Generally, it only depends on whether the strokes are like cylinders. If the strokes are flat, thin and thick, and he can't even write well with the basic center pen, then his calligraphy will definitely not work. Seal script, official script and regular script only need to see whether their structures are symmetrical or not. If even the structure is asymmetrical, there must be something wrong with it in other ways. As long as you look at the thickness of the strokes, if you don't even have a sense of the thickness of the strokes, you will definitely not write cursive.
People outside the calligraphy circle often judge the quality of calligraphy by its good or bad: the strokes are smooth and refreshing, the structure is firm but not oblique, the fonts are beautiful and beautiful, and the calligraphy can read the names, so just say it. On the other hand, the strokes are rough, the structure is dangerous, and the font is simple and heavy. For example, if you can't read the names of seal script and cursive script, you can't say it well. Therefore, there is a lack of in-depth understanding of calligraphy tradition and necessary knowledge of calligraphy aesthetics. In fact, for people who study calligraphy, fresh strokes, correct structure and beautiful fonts are the minimum requirements. At this time, I was still a beginner in calligraphy, and I was still writing. If we continue to study deeply, we will pursue the comparative changes of dryness and wetness, yin, oblique, thick, Fiona Fang, straightness, discontinuity and falsehood, regard calligraphy as a kind of culture and philosophy, realize the way of yin and yang, pay attention to "harmony but difference, disobeying and not committing crimes", and even reach the realm of "harmony between man and nature". The evaluation of seal script should have the knowledge of ancient philology, and the evaluation of cursive script should have considerable artistic accomplishment. It is very elementary and superficial to judge calligraphy only by beauty and ugliness.
Judging the quality of calligraphy cannot be equated with people. The quality of calligraphy is indeed related to the author's fame, identity, status, knowledge, position and level, but it is not absolute. The quality of calligraphy is judged by art, not by people. There are also cases where the calligraphy of the members of the Provincial Book Association is better than that of the members of the China Book Association, and that of the members of the Municipal Book Association is better than that of the Provincial Book Association. The calligraphy of the chairman and vice-chairman of the book association is not necessarily the best, and the calligraphy of the members and non-members of the book association is not necessarily the worst.
You can't judge the quality of calligraphy by pieces. A well-written work does not mean that all its works are good. Some people think that his cursive script is also very good, others think that his cursive script is very famous, so it is wrong to think that his official script method is also very good. We know that few people write well in every style. Most calligraphers generally write only one or two styles of books. A good style of writing only shows that he has reached a higher level in this style of writing, but it does not mean that all his other styles of writing are good. Besides, even the style he is best at may not be well written.
You can't judge the quality of calligraphy just by the result of the competition. If someone's calligraphy is selected, exhibited and won a prize in the national calligraphy competition, he thinks his calligraphy is good; if not, he thinks his calligraphy is not good. In any calligraphy competition, select, participate in exhibitions, win prizes, etc. Only relatively fair, not absolutely fair. Different evaluation teams and different evaluation angles will have different evaluation results, including bad factors such as luck and human feelings.
In short, judging the quality of calligraphy should be measured by artistic standards, not by personal preferences, and not by hearsay like a blind man touching an elephant.
After the template for learning calligraphy is selected, the first step is to read the posts. Reading posts means carefully reading and analyzing the calligrapher's ink calligraphy posts, carefully pondering their structure, style, composition and brushwork characteristics, and deeply understanding the charm and artistic style of the works. The purpose of reading posts is to exercise your eyes and brain, improve your comprehensive analysis ability and appreciation of calligraphy art through repeated observation and thinking, and to "refine" yourself when reading posts, we should focus on the following three points:
First of all, we should adopt corresponding reading methods for different inscriptions. Fan Ying should read the original text first, understand the main idea of the text and the author's writing background, which will help him understand the expression and artistic characteristics of the model. When photocopying the whole ink or rubbings, we should pay attention to its composition and charm, mainly including: the spacing and line spacing of words; The size and coherence of words; Straightness, inclination and Fiona Fang; The length and thickness of strokes; The weight of pen power; Dry ink and wet ink, etc. Be familiar with copybooks and lay a good foundation for copybooks.
Secondly, reading posts should be combined with point and face. Pay attention to reading posts from big to small, from the outside to the inside, and go deep at different levels. After reading the post, we can make an in-depth analysis of the model from the following four aspects: (1) From the big picture, we can see the overall layout momentum; Think small and observe the brushwork; Look at the beauty of font posture from the structure of bookshelf; Read between the lines to see the artistic effect of the whole picture. Among the four, the analysis of stippling should be the focus. When trying to figure out the famous calligraphy posts, we should pay special attention to where the author wrote, how to connect the second stroke, and how to echo and avoid the strokes. This in-depth analysis of the combination of point and surface can master the essentials of famous brushwork.
Third, we should carefully observe the model essay when reading the post. The so-called model figure refers to the figure who can best reflect the writing style and characteristics of famous calligraphers. This mainly includes: first, use a pen. It is necessary to see clearly the beginning and end of strokes, lifting and pressing, rising before hiding, falling after hiding, the length of Fiona Fang, withering and obesity, and so on. The second is the structure. Attention should be paid to how to aim at the center, grasp the center of gravity, be horizontal and vertical, tighten up and loosen down, be symmetrical, have the same slope, stretch left and right, and have a proper proportion. The third is expression. We should understand the spirit, charm, demeanor, posture, etc. Through such careful observation and understanding, we can master the basic writing methods and the basic structure of stippling.
Amin scholar Tang Linchu said in Finger: "If you read ancient books carefully, if you have a word in your heart, then raise your pen and chase it. Compared with words, you get two or three books, then four or five books, and then to the ancients with a large number of books. " It can be seen that reading posts carefully is actually the first step to learn calligraphy well, and it is also an extremely important first step.