Today I will talk about a unique form of writing classics in the history of calligraphy. Because my contact with this book is not comprehensive, I just use this article to understand and sort out this knowledge. If there is anything wrong, please ask Fang Jia to correct it for me.
The so-called scripture writing style is a unique calligraphy form with scripture writing as the main content and mostly in small letters. The scriptures are mainly Buddhist classics, and occasionally there are other classics such as Taoism.
Buddhism was gradually introduced into China from the Han Dynasty. By the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Buddhist scriptures had made great progress in China, but reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. In this long history spanning about 700 years, a large number of Buddhist scriptures have been translated and Buddhist sects have been established, among which the construction of Dunhuang Grottoes, as a cultural exchange station between China and the West, has reached its peak.
At that time, in order to seek happiness, peace and psychological comfort, people often held various Buddhist ceremonies, the most common of which was to write scriptures and copy them. This activity has almost formed a business, and there has been a "scripture life" that specializes in copying scriptures.
Interestingly, from the Han Dynasty, Wei and Jin Dynasties to the Tang Dynasty, China's calligraphy also reached its heyday, with ever-changing and developing calligraphy styles such as Han Li, Erwangxingcao and Wei Bei Tang Kai, which became the mainstream of China's calligraphy. At the same time, the classical writing develops in parallel with this, which not only influences each other, but also is independent of each other.
& ltsmall & gt Wuwei Han bamboo slips
For example, the style of writing scriptures in the early days was mainly the fonts and official scripts in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The style of Confucian classics in the Northern Wei Dynasty has obvious characteristics of Weibei brushwork and structure. In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the method of writing classics was as standard and accurate as Tang Kai's, with meticulous brushwork and rigorous structure. It can be said that the close combination of classic writing style and contemporary calligraphy style broadens the calligraphy style of classic writing.
& ltsmall & gt Six years of Yuankang in the Western Jin Dynasty, Tibetan scriptures.
In fact, writing scriptures was not a calligraphy act from the beginning. It's just a carrier for people who study Buddhism to read. Therefore, neat handwriting, well-proportioned structure and easy identification are the most basic requirements for writing scriptures. However, due to the different background and times of copywriting, the font forms presented are also diverse, either beautiful or cold, or dignified or graceful, forming their own different styles. But generally speaking, in the process of copying scripture, there are certain requirements for the writer, such as piety, calmness, composure, certain skills, speed and quality. This is different from other calligraphy relics of past dynasties. It is conceivable that modern people must copy the Heart Sutra in order to return to that state of mental peace.
< small > Nirvana Sutra No.11
At that time, there were two main types of people who copied Buddhist scriptures: one was a Buddhist monk and the other was Jing Sheng (also known as a sketcher or calligrapher). Many of these students are frustrated in the field of fame and fortune, and their names are rarely seen in the classics, and their life experience is even more difficult to verify. There are also ordinary folk believers. Because these people are not in the upper class, they generally can't see the handwriting of celebrities, so their mode of learning books is the classics copied by predecessors.
As we know, there are various forms of calligraphy cultural relics in past dynasties, including Oracle bones, inscriptions, cliffs, brick carvings, silk books, bamboo slips, manuscripts, letters, etc., and the styles and sizes of calligraphy are also varied, which reflects the richness and variability of China's calligraphy. However, the classic writing style is mainly a formal book, which is neatly written and has certain patterns in the whole structure, brushwork and composition, thus forming its own unique calligraphy style.
& ltsmall & gt paper version of Taoist classic "Tai Shang Lao Zhen Miao was born by abstaining from gold, and Jiu You pulled out the wonderful classics of sin", 25 x 142.5 cm, Dunhuang. Collected by the British Library. & lt/small & gt；
But despite this, the style of writing classics in the future is different from that of pavilions. Due to the different historical times, with the development and changes of the times, the classic writing method also has many different faces worthy of a book. Scripture writing has a history of 700 years in China, and it is actually changing as the mainstream calligraphy in China, such as the form of regular script with the meaning of official script, the influence of Han bamboo slips on it, the application of regular script in Weibei, and the subtle influence of Tang Kai on regular script. All these are reflected in the classic style of writing, resulting in various characteristics, such as high style, simplicity, naturalness or preciseness.
Due to the spread of Buddhism in China and the prevalence of sutra writing, a lot of sutra writing calligraphy has been handed down. Especially since 1900, tens of thousands of ancient documents have been made public, which can give us a glimpse of the rich and colorful calligraphy art of writing scriptures at that time. Due to the limitation of space, here are only a few famous and important works handed down from generation to generation.
& ltsmall & gt The Lotus Sutra, which is anonymous, was originally hidden in the Tibetan Sutra Cave in Dunhuang, and its author is unknown. Shanghai duoyunxuan collection
The regular script of "The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Method" is dancing a little, with elegant posture and outstanding agility. We can see the details of stippling, hanging silk and pen-carrying direction, and the fonts are also scattered in size, each with its own state and full of charm. This sutra is scattered in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes in the late Qing Dynasty. From the late Qing Dynasty to the founding of New China, this volume has been collected many times, and now it is treasured in Shanghai Duoyunxuan.
& ltsmall & gt This volume is Lan's paper book, which is written in small letters. 275 lines with each line 17 characters, 22.6 cm long and 468.8 cm wide, in the Palace Museum. & lt/small & gt；
The kingdom of power was born in the early years of Emperor Taizong (seventh century), and its name is unknown. But at that time, he should be a famous student. Therefore, the book "The Degree of Good Solution" was written in sequence, and then was strictly inscribed by the Minister of Culture. Later, Zhao Mengfu, Ni Zan and Dong Qichang all read this volume. The brushwork is based on Huang Tingjing and Thirteen Lines of Jade Edition written by the two kings, which is a rare masterpiece in small letters. Throughout this calligraphy, the wrist strength is even and there is no failure. The font is loose and rigorous, which can be described as meticulous, round and skillful, and the structure is not cramped. It meets the requirement of "sincerity" of the scripture author.
The book "Good Enlightenment" briefly describes Sakyamuni's preaching of Buddhism. At the end of the volume, the book "Understanding the Law Volume" was signed "National Interpretation Writing on December 10, 2002".
& ltsmall & gt The 43-line ink book of Jing collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA, each page is 20.8 × 8.9cm and * * 9 pages. & lt/small & gt；
Ling Feijing, also known as Liu Jia Ling Feijing, is anonymous. "Ling Fei Jing" has round strokes and exquisite fonts. It is a rare example for later generations to learn lowercase letters.
The author of Ling Fei Jing is still a mystery. Some people say it was written by Zhong Shaojing in the Tang Dynasty, some people say it was written by Princess Yu Zhen, and some even think it was written by Zhao Mengfu in the Yuan Dynasty. The discovery and experience of The Ling Fei Classic itself is confusing, and those who are interested can look up the information themselves and find out.
& ltsmall & gt that original Ling Fei classic in Bohai sea.
But in any case, Ling Fei Jing, as an authentic lower case classic, has been emitting immortal artistic charm with its beautiful posture for thousands of years!
The fragments of & ltsmall & gt Buddhist scriptures are now in the National Library of France. & lt/small & gt；
The Buddhist Sutra Remnants was written by Shi Huizhan in the eighth year of the Southern Dynasties (AD 576). The monks of Nanjing Baima Temple released their opinions and were first introduced to Dunhuang through Nanjing. Because of its excellent calligraphy, it was treasured by the master until 1002, and was buried in the Buddhist Sutra Cave in Mogao Grottoes. 900 years later, Taoist Wang discovered the secret and opened a hole to sell. This remnant volume is now in the National Library of France. (from the network)
Although its influence and popularity are not as good as Jing's, it has long been regarded as a work written by Shao Jing. It was even engraved in the collection of posts (such as the post of Shexian Bao in Qing Dynasty), which was once widely circulated.
Zhong Shaojing (659-746), with a big word, is said to be a descendant of Zhong You (grandson of 17), so he was called "Jason Chung", and Zhong You naturally became a "big clock". Mi Fei's Book History called Shao Jing's calligraphy "vigorous brushwork". Dong Qichang believes that Zhao's regular script originated from Zhong Shaojing's small script, so we can see Zhong Shaojing's regular script style from Zhao Mengfu's regular script. Some people even say that Beijing is a temporary work of Zhao Mengfu, and so on.
However, there are still many questions about whether this passage was written by Jason Chung. In any case, the Buddhist scriptures themselves are vigorous and powerful, and the structure is appropriate, which can be comparable to the fine works written in the early Tang Dynasty.
Let's talk about China's rich and magnificent calligraphy art, but there are also many excellent works that are not included in the introduction. For example, there are many classics in some cliff stone carvings (Taishan Mountain Valley, etc. ). But limited by space, I have to give up what I love. To sum up, the wind of writing classics (also known as the wind of writing classics) began in the Han Dynasty and reached its peak in the Tang Dynasty. Since the Jin Dynasty, copying classics has always been an important style. It can be said that it recorded in detail the whole process of Hua Kai after the changes of China characters, and played a great role in promoting the development of China characters. At the same time, because of its well-preserved ink form, many works convey the characteristics and traces of calligraphy brushwork in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, so it is also a rare learning treasure house for later calligraphy learners. It has even been suggested that writing classics can be a learning object for beginners of calligraphy.
I have no talent, please correct me.