Is there no real master in China? Take calligraphy as an example. As the quintessence of China's national art, there has always been a saying that "the master is among the people". Many truly talented people may not be famous at all, but you will understand what art is when you see his works.
In China's calligraphy circle, there is such a master with mixed reputation. Anyone who has come into contact with calligraphy has heard of his name, and his reputation in the calligraphy circle is unparalleled, but at the same time, many colleagues have criticized him. He doesn't know calligraphy, so is this a real calligrapher or an impostor?
No matter in which circle, there are so-called factions. Because the people you like are different, so are the people you support. This is very obvious in the cross talk circle. If there are factions in contemporary calligraphy and painting circles in China, then Oumen must be the most numerous and popular one, and its boss is today's hero Ouyang Zhongshi.
In the usual calligraphy circle, Oumen has not only the largest number, but also the most complicated network. It can be said that in the calligraphy circle, anyone who is a little famous is more or less involved with him. For example, Chen Hongwu, the master with the best momentum, is a disciple of Ouyang Zhongshi, so that even Mr. Tian Yingzhang, a contemporary cabinet master, should be addressed as a master when he sees him.
Of course, Ouyang Zhongshi's admiration from so many famous artists has a lot to do with his own fame. First of all, he is a professor at Capital Normal University. Followed by China Lanting Calligraphy Award Lifetime Achievement Award winner, who works as a staff member in China Calligraphers Association. Such fame and honor are unprecedented in the calligraphy circle, at least unprecedented.
Maybe it has a lot of fame, or it has a high reputation. Ouyang Zhongshi's Mo Bao can be said to be all over the streets of China. If you are a fun-loving person, you will find that all the scenic spots in China are basically inscribed by Ouyang Zhongshi, and even his Mo Bao can be seen in some institutions, so he is also ridiculed as a "signboard inscription expert".
Ouyang Zhongshi can get such high support. Besides calligraphy, there are also reasons to respect his knowledge. Unlike calligraphers who are very proficient in calligraphy, it is no exaggeration to describe Ouyang Zhongshi with erudition. Maybe he is not familiar with a certain professional field, but his knowledge is so broad that some people say that "there is no student he can't teach, and there is no knowledge he can't tell."
So how did he achieve such a height? In fact, we can find clues from his childhood. He yearned for different fields of study since he was a child. It is hard to imagine that a person who is famous for his calligraphy is actually studying philosophy.
When he studied philosophy in Peking University, he could reach the point where Chinese and Western philosophy infiltrated each other, and then he turned to the field of poetry and learned from Zhang Boju at that time. Is he going to specialize in poetry from now on? Actually, it's not. After learning poetry and kung fu, he did not indulge in it, but began to learn drama and became a famous opera fan.
So when did he start learning calligraphy? Will come after graduation. By chance, Ouyang Zhongshi met the famous calligrapher Wu Yuru at that time. Maybe it's a coincidence or fate. After getting to know each other, he quickly added Wu Yuru's name and learned calligraphy. He can say without scruple that it is difficult to find a person who can match his breadth of knowledge in the whole calligraphy and even the whole cultural circles.
Although Ouyang Zhongshi is famous, it is definitely calligraphy that brings him the greatest fame, which is also the career that consumes the most time in his life. The title of a "calligrapher" is enough to sum up all his achievements, but as far as calligraphy is concerned, he can't achieve great things. The biggest difference between him and other calligraphers is that he can teach others. Ouyang Zhongshi is ahead of everyone in calligraphy education.
His contribution is world-famous. Throughout today's calligraphy world, more than half of the whole two generations have been guided and educated by him. Putting aside the word calligraphy, only commenting on the word "master", Ouyang Zhongshi definitely deserves it. In order to promote calligraphy, he not only opened a calligraphy major in the university, but also created a set of educational reform system, which shocked the education circle at that time.
Although Ouyang Zhongshi can reach such a height and gain so many reputations, his calligraphy has not been recognized by many people, so that some people say that he is not a person who knows calligraphy, and many colleagues also bluntly say that his calligraphy is an ugly letter, which is a very humiliating way of judging.
So from his calligraphy itself, what height did he reach? First of all, we can draw a conclusion that although his calligraphy level has not reached the level of Wu Yuru, it is still quite high, especially in calligraphy, he has learned from others. Unfortunately, although he had a solid foundation, he was too eager to form his own school and left defects in his calligraphy works. It is for these reasons that CaoDaWei, a former member of the Calligraphy Association, directly stopped criticizing him, claiming that he didn't know what pen and ink was.
So, to be fair, what is the level of Ouyang Zhongshi's calligraphy? Ouyang Zhongshi's own calligraphy works are unique, but there are many defects on the whole, which are not suitable for being handed down to future generations. In the folk, many people call Ouyang Zhongshi's calligraphy "inverted facet". Because he prefers the disposal of the lateral front in calligraphy, he often ignores the overall glyph, and such calligraphy works will give people a feeling of weakness.
At the same time, when Ouyang Zhongshi was writing calligraphy, there was no fixed composition, and some words might be able to see the skill, but some words were too unconstrained and unconstrained. Although they have reached another height in their ideological situation, from an aesthetic point of view, they really cannot convince the public.
Although there are too many controversies about Ouyang Zhongshi, in all fairness, Ouyang Zhongshi's personal charm is still very strong. Even after being criticized so much, he doesn't have much resentment. But from time to time adhere to a humble attitude, which is rare in calligraphy.
In the calligraphy world, once a person becomes famous, he will begin to raise his social status, and he will pretend to be a master when attending activities. Most importantly, he can't stand all kinds of comments and discussions anymore, even because of the active abuse of netizens.
However, Ouyang Zhongshi is completely different. In the face of insiders, Ouyang Zhongshi is very low-key and rarely responds to various criticisms of his peers. Externally, Ouyang Zhongshi never called himself a "calligrapher" in any public place. He has always insisted that he is a teacher and called his work a disgrace, which constitutes a very obvious contrast.
Of course, some people say that in his later years, he kept telling the outside world that his resignation works were second to none, which was a very arrogant performance. However, the person who said this obviously didn't know anything about Ouyang Zhongshi. Like many old people, Ouyang Zhongshi, who is getting older, suffers from eye diseases and cataracts, and almost all his eyes are blind. But what he said was actually a mockery of himself, not a sign of pride.
At this time, some people may ask, since Ouyang Zhongshi said that he is just a teacher, why should he accept the Lanting Lifetime Achievement Award? First of all, this award was not given to me by him, but by the relevant judges. I heard that at the time of awarding the prize, Ouyang Zhongshi couldn't bear it at first, and kept saying that he was not qualified. Later, he was forced to bear it under the persuasion of his friends. But even after winning such an award, he never called himself a master in public. Every time he talks about his calligraphy, he just says "OK".
As for the identity of the staff of the Calligraphy Association, the first major punishment is his contribution to calligraphy education, which is actually a support for his personal leading role. On June 5, 2020, 165438+ Ouyang Zhongshi passed away in Beijing.
As for professional calligraphers, when writing calligraphy, you must stand and write. When writing brush characters, they don't finish writing a word in a minute or two, as they do in TV dramas, but they need their own thinking and deliberation to put pen to paper. Many young people can't insist on writing calligraphy because of fatigue, but Ouyang Zhongshi has persisted for so many years.
What exactly is Ouyang Zhongshi's calligraphy? History has its own judgment, and there is no need to care about the evaluation between peers. But as far as honor is concerned, Ouyang Zhongshi has fully assumed the title of "master". Although his calligraphy works have also been criticized, China's calligraphy would never have developed to such an extent without Ouyang Zhongshi. What contribution will those who criticize him make?