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There is a traditional concept in the history of calligraphy in China, that is, attaching importance to books as well as people, and emphasizing learning to be a man before learning books-quality first. Su Dongpo, a famous writer and calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, said: "There are ugly faces, but gentlemen and villains cannot be hidden." Words are argumentative, but the spirit of a gentleman and a villain cannot be deceived; Books are clumsy, but the hearts of gentlemen and villains should not be confused. "(On Books) Although the standard of gentleman and villain in feudal times is not enough for today, we can still extract reasonable content from Su Shi's point of view, that is, in artistic creation, characters occupy a very important position. Fu Shan, a adherent of the Ming Dynasty, also emphasized the relationship between writing and calligraphy. In his poem "Writing Words to Show Children and Grandchildren", he said at the beginning: "Writing words first creates people, and people have strange words since ancient times. The Outline has always rebelled against Kong Zhou, which can't be supplemented by words. "He added:" Words have nothing to do with personnel, fearing servility and vulgarity in politics. If you are not servile and vulgar, you can listen to the wind, not just words. "He admired Wang Xizhi as a human being and expressed regret over Wang Xizhi's Calligraphy Handed Down to the Present. He admired Yan Zhenqing: "It is also evil to be a character before being a man, and he looks like a slave. Try Lu Gong's book, and you will be proud of yourself. Life and death can't be returned, so it's chaotic! " In Qing Dynasty, Zhu Hegang also pointed out in his New Interpretation of Linchi: "Calligraphy is just a skill, but it is the first moment of making a product. ..... So there are many people who write about morality, work, articles and morality. Those who judge the world, admire others, value their books, and those who are scholars are immortal. ..... However, although a gentleman has stunts, he is ashamed of the world and Yin Jian! "It's all based on personality. In other words, to appreciate a person's calligraphy, we should consider the person who writes, and to appreciate calligraphy is to appreciate his character. If a calligrapher's moral quality is noble, his calligraphy will have a strange and ancient style, and his works will be cherished by the world. If a calligrapher is morally corrupt, no matter how good his handwriting is, people will not pay attention to it. It is useless to try to cover up or make up for his character defects with the achievements of calligraphy art. On this issue, judging from the circulation of ancient books, it is probably the same. For example, Wang Xizhi, who is revered as a calligrapher, and Yan Zhenqing, who is lamented as a calligrapher, are not only good at calligraphy, but also noble in character. National heroes Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang and Lin Zexu, their calligraphy may not be outstanding compared with some famous calligraphers in history, but their calligraphy is specially protected and loved. On the contrary, some people may be good, but their character is not good and their books are rejected. For example, in the Song Dynasty, Qin Gui's ci was technically quite powerful, but its ci was rarely circulated; Legend has it that "Cai" among the four "Su, Huang, Mi and Cai" in Song Dynasty originally referred to Cai Jing, but later it was changed to Cai Xiang because of its bad character. In the late Ming Dynasty, Zeng Guofan and Zheng in the Qing Dynasty. He is very familiar with calligraphy skills and has a great title, but influenced by his personality, he has not been valued or rejected in history. Books died with people and disappeared, making him more well known.
Su Dongpo said: "Ancient essayists also talked about life, but they were not human beings, although the work was not expensive." (Su Shi's Dongpo Collection) His views on books are very clear. Only when a good book has Kaku Takashina can its works be treasured by the world. Those who have suffered a great loss and are morally corrupt are not appreciated by those who know, even if they can write a good hand. This view, from an artistic point of view, seems somewhat biased. However, I think it is a universal requirement for calligraphers to attach importance to both books and character. It is impossible to treat the nature of books separately in absolute terms. Books and character are inseparable, which has been recognized since ancient times. Judging from the records in Xuanhe Pu Shu, the evaluation of Du Mu's calligraphy is carried out from two angles: his character and poetry. He said: "There is a strange festival in the countryside. I dare to talk about big things, especially current events, not for the sake of pollution. In terms of poetry, he is a hero ... His poem "Epang Palace Fu" has beautiful words and a poet's exhortation style, which scholars have called it so far. As a grass, it is vigorous and powerful, which is in line with its article. " Therefore, a versatile scholar, whether writing poetry, composition, writing or painting, always has a unified style.
In short, whether the author is good or bad, his mental outlook will always be reflected in his calligraphy works, which is an objective historical conclusion.
This situation has profound moral concepts and aesthetic reasons. First of all, there is a tradition in our country, that is, we always like to associate beautiful things with ethics and morality, and think that only this thing has higher moral and spiritual significance at the same time, it deserves special respect, or it is considered to be a higher level of beauty. Secondly, the art of calligraphy is an appreciation. From the perspective of art book psychology, when people create or appreciate art works, they are accompanied by a pleasant aesthetic feeling. To appreciate a work, it is natural to associate it with the creator. If the author is a hero admired by everyone, or a person with good character, when he appreciates the works, he will not only appreciate the beauty, but also be infected by his noble moral sentiments. That's exactly what happened: Yan Zhenqing was loyal to his country and had integrity all his life. His calligraphy is also vigorous, magnificent, rigorous and meticulous. In particular, "Sacrificing a Nephew" really integrates his personality, feelings and art. It is really blood, and every word is tears. The strength of the British style is evident in the style of writing. His feelings are vividly expressed through calligraphy. Premier Zhou Enlai wrote in mourning for the martyrs who died in the south of the Yangtze River: "A leaf in the south of the Yangtze River is a strange injustice through the ages. What's the hurry! " Calm and steady, depressed and restrained, showing hatred for the enemy and mourning for the martyrs, making people love more and more. Appreciate such works, you will get a double harvest of thought and aesthetics, and your interest will be higher. As listed above, the author's character is not good, even very poor. Reading his words, you will inevitably think of him, and you will inevitably get tired and even disgusted. What an aesthetic enjoyment! Therefore, people are very cautious when dealing with this problem. Therefore, books, like people, are not only reflected in such principled issues as "goodness" and "evil", but also include a person's mind, knowledge, personality, interests and so on. "uninvited books, see the character. Therefore, it is not enough to tell a book without learning, especially without quality. This book also makes sense. " (Li Jian's Shu Dao) In the Qing Dynasty, Li Ruiqing put it well in the Yi Draft of the Qing Dynasty: "Learning books first makes you stand. The right army has a high personality, so the book is fascinating. A mind is by no means better than a dirty book, so it can be asserted. " )
This is the dialectical relationship and historical fact that books and characters are equally important and products are put first. This is an aesthetic concept formed in the history of China's calligraphy, and it is the fundamental viewpoint to comment on the relationship between books and characters, which can't be changed by anyone.