The two different calligraphy styles of regular script and cursive script are both different and related. If you want to learn calligraphy well, you must write both calligraphy styles at the same time. One alone will not work. Regular script is valuable for its flexibility, while cursive script is valuable for its dignity. Without the foundation of regular script, cursive script will really take off; if you don’t know how to write cursive script, it’s easy to write in regular script like a zombie. Which one to learn depends on your preference. Whether it is regular script or cursive script, there are many copybooks. From my personal point of view, we should learn from those before the Tang Dynasty, especially the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties.
However, calligraphy is a very comprehensive art. Any calligrapher in the previous generation was not a professional calligrapher, but a scholar. Therefore, calligraphy cannot work without culture. Two articles are attached to explain this in detail.
Let’s talk about cursive script
Cursive script is a more difficult style of calligraphy. The difficulty is that it is difficult to write, difficult to identify, and difficult to appreciate.
First of all, it is difficult to write. Cursive script emphasizes turning, and in the process of turning, it is required that there are strokes in the words and the charm is consistent. That is to say, there must be ups and downs in the writing process, and it is required to have pauses and setbacks; it must be vivid and flexible without losing control. In other words, cursive writing is strictly defined. It does not mean drawing circles randomly and doing whatever you want; nor does it mean scribbling it randomly, the messier the better. And at the same time, it is required that the foundation of regular script must be solid. If regular script is not good and you don't know the writing skills, cursive writing will be impossible, and cursive writing will really be missed.
Secondly, it is difficult to identify. It is generally believed that cursive writing is difficult to read. It seems that you don’t know a few words throughout the text, and you don’t know what is written. In fact, cursive writing has strict regulations, even stricter than regular script.
The questioner said that he had learned Yan Zhenqing’s regular script and wanted to continue learning cursive script. He asked which calligrapher he should start with. After reading Yan Zhenqing’s calligraphy, his first impression was that it was very good in terms of structure and organization. There are no big problems, the pen is also very flexible, and the handwriting has its own ideas. With this foundation, if you practice cursive writing, you will definitely make rapid progress.
The importance of cultural accomplishment in the preparation of calligraphy
The preparation of calligraphy is an important part of learning calligraphy. Without it, there is no way to learn calligraphy. So, does such an important post have anything to do with a person’s cultural accomplishment? On the surface it looks like there isn't. It is generally understood that copywriting is just a matter of imitating the copybook. It has nothing to do with whether you are literate or even able to read or not. Anyway, just write like it. In fact, it is not so simple. There is a lot of knowledge in the so-called likeness and unlikeness.
If you want to learn running script, I suggest you directly study Wang Xizhi’s "Preface to the Sacred Teachings of Collection of Characters". For calligraphy enthusiasts with a basic foundation, this is the best choice for getting started with running script. Practice While Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Holy Religion, you can also practice Wang Xizhi's handwriting. After all, Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Holy Religion" is a rubbing and requires ink to assist in practice.