Anyone who studies calligraphy knows that if you want to write well, as long as you like which kind of writing, you can pick it up and practice it, but for people who really want to learn calligraphy to a higher level, this is not only a waste of time, but also a manifestation of lawlessness. When we study calligraphy, we are to learn from some of the methods and shortcuts of the ancients in learning, how they learned and how to do it, which is conducive to quickly mastering these learning methods and tricks.
In the late Qing Dynasty, the calligrapher and calligraphy theorist Bao Shichen summed up many practical methods in the study and study of calligraphy, and published his book "Yizhou Shuangyi" in the Guangxu period (1889), which was favored by scholars, and its content involved penmanship, source flow, and evaluation of famous artists.
In the discussion of the general vein of calligraphy and the learning path, Bao Shichen believes that the purpose of distinguishing the ancient meaning of the seal and the ancient law of the Six Dynasties should be taken as the purpose, emphasizing the meaning generated by the pen and glyphs of calligraphy as the fundamental, and only by grasping this general context will the calligraphy level be higher and the artistic conception more profound. He put forward his views from three aspects.
Qin Chengmiao made a lishu, the Han said that the present text, and the ring of the seal of Gai Province was thought to be easy to straighten. The Qin and Han Golden Stones that have been passed down from generation to generation, and those whose pens are close to the seal and the body is close to the truth, are all subordinate to the book. and Zhonglang, change to eight points. Eighth, the back also, the distribution of the left and right of the word is also contrary to the situation. Since the Wei and Jin dynasties, all of them have passed on the law of Zhonglang, and they have been subordinated to it in eight points, and have always become the shape of the true book.
The above passage is Bao Shichen's statement of the evolution process of the seal, the li, the eight points, and the true book, and he believes that the calligraphy has evolved from the intricate posture of the big seal to the neat and uniform of the small seal, from the ring of the small seal stroke to the straightness of the lishu, and in the Zhonglang (Cai Yong) period, it has been transformed into the eight-point book of the body posture Junfa, and the real book is a combination of the eight-point brushwork and the posture of the Lishu.
What are their advantages and benefits for these ancient books? Bao Shichen said:
The intensification of the seal book is satisfied, and the sharp line is also in the painting; the junfa of the book is satisfied, and the paper is also laid out on the paper. The real book can absorb the ink into the slightest, so that those who are not sideways, the seal meaning is also; it can be used to shoot the ink with the edge, so that those who are not wrapped in the edge, the meaning is also divided. There is ink and seal, and there is a side pen and meaning.
Calligraphy is the expression of the ability to write. Here, Bao Shichen gave a very clear goal and answer to the scholars. He believes that why do these kinds of books have ancient meanings? He put forward his views from the way he used his pen. The advantage of learning seal books is that the pen edge can go straight in the middle of the strokes, so that people can get the method of holding the pen and practicing the pen in the pen; after learning the eight-point book, you can grasp the "Junfa" posture on the penmanship and make the writing more meaningful; so that when writing a real book, we can feel the pen method that people often say "wrapping the edge" and "sealing the fence", why Yan Zhenqing's letter is written with the seal brush method, the reason is this.
The problem of penmanship has always been the core issue of calligraphers paying attention to writing, and the Yuan Dynasty calligrapher Zhao Mengfu said: "It is not easy to use the pen for thousands of years", which is also a problem of penmanship. However, for Bao Shichen's calligraphic thought, in addition to emphasizing penmanship, he is more important than where to get it from, and how to achieve it?
Bao Shichen believes that the problem of brushwork can only be obtained from the eight points of the seal, because this is the "origin of calligraphy" and "the will of the seal", which contains the quality of the ancients and the temperament of calligraphy, which is the root.
Emphasizing the use of the pen, he said:
The method of using the pen is seen at both ends of the painting, and the ancients are strong and unattainable, and they are cut off in the painting. The reason for the in-and-out manipulation of the two ends of the cover. There are still signs to be found; among them, those who are abundant but not timid, who are solid but not empty, who are not bone-like, cannot be caused. There are even more cowardly people who use both ends of the majestic and middle to intercept the void, try to take the ancient thesis horizontal true painting, and play with the two ends of it, then everyone will see it.
Bao Shichen believes that the virtual reality of the strokes in calligraphy has an important influence and significance on calligraphy, and the reason why the calligraphy of the ancients is unattainable is that the "middle truth" in the strokes is not "empty". These methods of using the pen lie in the effect achieved on the eight points of the seal, and if people make sufficient efforts in these aspects, the so-called "zhongshi" brushwork will naturally come.
Another feature of the seal is the ancient law and ancient meaning, when the ancients created calligraphy, there was no profound method of expression, but a natural state, with this state, you can also achieve the artistic realm of "great ingenuity". For example, the penmanship of the seal is the pen of the center, this pen is the effective control of the pen edge in the writing, from the perspective of linear quality, the linear quality produced by this penmanship is also the best, with a good line quality, calligraphy naturally has a "thick quality", "simple", "majestic" artistic realm.
On the issue of the form of calligraphy, Bao Shichen also has his own views, he said:
The ancient books have a fixed method, which is based on the size of the glyph.
The form problem mentioned here still refers to the seal and the eight-point book, he believes that this is the ancient people's "fixed position" problem of calligraphy, one point and one painting, one word and one line, are the "potential" of the word and the "state" of the line, in the writing, according to the change of the size of the character, so that the gesture and the character posture must "follow its own potential", in this way, on the one hand, can make the calligraphy more harmonious and natural, on the other hand, it is also in line with the "ancient law".
Calligraphy pays attention to writing, and writing comes from the pen power, pen power comes from the seal of the eight points, they have both brushwork, more ancient meaning, therefore, contemporary people in the measurement of calligraphy is a standard is the calligraphy of the brushwork and ancient meaning, seal calligraphy is the most fundamental way to solve these problems, but also many people who want to improve the achievement of calligraphy to pursue the goal.