Tacit understanding of God will
I don't know
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"Pictures and Stories"
Xu Shidong's calligraphy enlightenment came from the teachers who wrote beautiful words in their student days. At that time, he did not know what "Wang Xizhi" and what "calligraphy" were, but he had long been attracted by the beauty of this abstract line and became an inseparable part of his life thereafter.
At the end of 1974, Xu Shidong joined the army and was assigned to the Wuhan Military Region, where he became acquainted with a member of a Chinese calligraphy association because of his love of calligraphy. Under the guidance of this teacher, he began to formally read the post and the post. Knowing that there is no end to the sea of books, he grasped the study of classic books while collecting and reading calligraphy theories, and for more than ten years it was like a day.
Xingcao Zeng Guofan hundred character inscription banner
In the process of studying books, Xu Shidong deeply felt that if he only posted and did not create, the result would be to forget the post, it was difficult to truly grasp and use the essence of the book post, and he had to create one or two works appropriately to test the results of the study. For example, he first came to Zhong Xuan's "Declaration Table", then wrote a painting of Mao Zedong's "Qinyuan Spring and Snow" and a painting of Su Dongpo's "Water Tune Song Head". After half a year of speculation and research, until he can basically grasp the post and use it flexibly, and then change the next post, and so on. When reviewing this process of studying the foundation of the book, Xu Shidong accurately summarized it as "endlessly approaching the pool and entering the right path".
Cursive Du Fu Spring Night Happy Rain Straight
In 2000, when he transferred to the Standing Committee of the Wuhan Municipal People's Congress, Xu Shidong had the opportunity to communicate with calligraphy masters in various provinces, no longer just bowing down to the book case and pondering alone. He received the guidance of Mr. Quan Xijun, an adviser to the Beijing Zhongshu Association, and benefited a lot. At this stage, he broadened his horizons, corrected some mistakes in the past, and deeply realized the characteristics of calligraphy ink.
Thanks to the experience of writing in political secretaries and other organs, Xu Shidong is very good at theoretical summarization. During the period when he was about to mature and began to formally enter the creation, Xu Shidong gradually analyzed and summarized the subtleties and profound points from the extensive study of calligraphy theory and years of calligraphy practice.
Cursive grip dew listening fountain straight
Learning calligraphy, can not follow the clouds, go with the flow, this is Xu Shidong's most profound understanding. In response to some misunderstandings of calligraphy learning, he gave examples to illustrate that the sense of weight of words does not depend on the use of a pen, and the lightness and elegance of words do not depend on speed. Just as a bird is not painted in one stroke, but draws its wings and then its tail one by one, forming a flying posture. Words should reflect the sense of rhythm, from the perspective of skill, relying on square pens and round pens, cursive round pens, but if it is all "drawing circles", it is too floating, there is no sense of substance, to appropriately increase some square pens.
Cursive Du Mu Mountain Row banner
With a personal experience and proficiency in calligraphy art skills, Xu Shidong further formed the essential cognition of Chinese calligraphy: "(Chinese) calligraphy is the art of line, but line art cannot summarize the whole of calligraphy, calligraphy has a knot, there is a law, leaving the foundation of Chinese characters, away from the traditional Chinese aesthetic orientation and aesthetic psychology, then lose the national characteristics of calligraphy." Based on this, Xu Shidong clarified the creative principle of "showing personality within the law", he opposed the strange, ugly, wild, wild, wayward creation, and pursued the peaceful beauty of Zhongzheng.
Xingshu Yueyang Lou Ji Straight
If fa du is the skeleton of calligraphy art, then the connotation of traditional Chinese culture is the flesh and blood that supports the beauty of calligraphy art. Xu Shidong believes that the cultural connotation of calligraphy is far greater than that of pure art forms. He attaches great importance to the interactive relationship between calligraphy and literature, and when he learns a new style of calligraphy, he will not rush to create, but carefully figure out the presentation of the font in the new literary chapter, and use calligraphy to annotate the style of the article. Therefore, Xu Shidong's calligraphy works are often not simply presented with techniques, but also harmonious with the literary atmosphere, not hurried, and penetrating in one breath.
Little Kai Drunken Pavilion Records Middle Hall
Bookworm, such as also. Originally, the writing was written as "elephant object", and then because of the "elephant object", it was written in the text. "The metaphysical is called the way, and the metaphysical is called the instrument." Writing has gradually changed from the specific function of "metaphysics" to an aesthetic art with expressiveness and great spirituality! There are countless scenic scenes on the art road, Xu Shidong's way of learning books, eclectic beauty, and can screen the chaotic scenery; to get the law and walk, to follow the emotions. Following his narration, we can also appreciate the charm of Chinese calligraphy art!
Book idle cloud wild crane banner
Artist Profile
Xu Shidong, born in November 1956. He is currently an advisor to the Academic Committee of the Chinese and Foreign Celebrity Culture Research Association, a member of the China Association of Chinese and Foreign Celebrities, the deputy secretary-general of the Calligraphers and Painters Working Committee of the New Literary and Art Group of the Chinese Calligraphers and Painters Association, the vice chairman of the China Enterprise Report and Art Capital Council, the senior calligraphy instructor of the Chinese Academy of Management Sciences, and the member of the Hubei Calligraphers Association.
His calligraphy works have participated in the National Calligraphy and Painting Exhibition of Famous Calligraphers and Painters for many times, and published 6 personal monographs such as "Top Figures of Chinese Calligraphy and Painting"; His works have been included in 38 large-scale calligraphy and painting classics published and distributed by Yanshi Publishing House, Heilongjiang Fine Arts Publishing House, Civil Aviation Publishing House of China, etc.; many samples of works have been displayed by many authoritative institutions such as the National Library of China and the Military Museum. More than 100 media, including China Art Daily and Entrepreneur Daily, published and reported on his works and achievements.
Interview transcripts
Selected
Q1
Guangzhou Art Fair
How do you get in touch with and learn the art of calligraphy step by step?
Xu Shidong
I once summarized my book study process into four stages.
First, there is interest and practice, practical and bookish. In elementary school and junior high school, my teachers were all born in the 1940s and 1950s, and their calligraphy skills were very deep, so we didn't know how to study the writing posters, but only followed the teachers. The rural people were poor and did not have the money to buy pens, ink and paper for calligraphy, so they took branches and tiles to write on the ground. When I was in junior high school, my words were well known among teachers and classmates, and all the communes and township governments needed to write slogans, slogans, big character newspapers, etc. when they needed to write them. At this stage, I did not know how to do calligraphy, but mainly cultivated a strong interest, and since then calligraphy has become a hobby and career that I have been pursuing. At this stage, I do not have a fixed aesthetic orientation, who writes well to learn, now look back, not like a word, the teacher praise on the complacent, in fact, has not yet started.
In the second stage, step into the right path. I joined the army at the end of 1974, and in 1978, through the introduction of others, I knew an officer of the Political Department of the Wuhan Military Region, who was a member of the China Book Association. I took the words I had written and asked him for guidance, and he shook his head when he saw it, and gave me a copy of Yan Zhenqing's "Duo Pagoda Thesis", telling me how to practice calligraphy, where to start, and how to develop. The Dobby Pagoda Is my first poster. Before that, I didn't know Yan Zhenqing and Wang Xizhi, but after he said it, I knew that the sea of books was endless, and there were many Dao Dao in it!
There is a characteristic of my pro-post, which is "creating while being pro". For example, when I came to Zhong Xuan's "Declaration Table", I wrote a painting of Mao Zedong's "Qinyuan Spring and Snow" and a painting of Su Dongpo's "Water Tune Song Head", and I spent nearly half a year creating these two works. Many words cannot be found in the original post, and the words on the post are completely different from the text environment in the poem, my purpose is to learn from the post and transfer the calligraphic characteristics of the post to the new article. After half a year of speculation and research, I was able to basically grasp the post and use it flexibly, so I changed to the next post, and so on.
I deeply feel that in the process of learning books, if you only post and do not create, then once you leave the post, you will forget, it is difficult to really grasp and use, so you must appropriately create one or two works to test your own results.
At that time, while grasping the practice of "Duo Bao Ta Ti", on the other hand, I deeply felt the inadequacy of my own calligraphy knowledge, so I often went to the ancient book bookstore in Wuhan City, subscribed to the "Calligraphy Newspaper", and slowly learned the systematic theory of calligraphy. There is a very thick "Introduction to Calligraphy", which is a collection of lectures, which I have read three times before and after, and I have read it thoroughly! For decades, sometimes with heavy chores and work, I may not be able to practice calligraphy every day, but I have never stopped reading calligraphy theory and magazines. At this stage, there are no high-ranking people to dial me, although there are many posts and theoretical knowledge has increased, but they have not formed their own style.
At this stage, I didn't create it for five or six years, and I kept posting it word for word. It was not until the third stage that I began to make friends with teachers and integrate into society. After changing careers in 2000, I went to work in the Standing Committee of the Wuhan Municipal People's Congress, and after working, I had the opportunity to communicate with famous artists in the province, at this time I began to make friends and visit teachers, participate in local calligraphy activities, and exchange pen meetings. Quan Xijun, the old consultant of the Beijing Zhongshu Association, is ninety-six years old this year, and I have taken five works to visit Mr. Lao, and I have received precious guidance and benefited a lot. At this stage, I broadened my horizons, corrected some mistakes in the past, and deeply realized the characteristics of calligraphy and ink.
In the past ten years, we have entered the fourth stage: the combination of temporary creation and the beginning of self. Towards retirement, I gradually handed over my work to other colleagues and could concentrate on calligraphy wholeheartedly. During this period, I sorted out my aesthetic orientation and aesthetic psychology, and theoretically summarized and reflected on my previous calligraphy practice.
Q2
Can you share with us some of the theoretical summaries and reflections?
There is an allusion to learning calligraphy, saying that Wang Xizhi saw Wang Xianzhi practicing words, went to his back to pull out his pen, and the result was that Wang Xianzhi pinched it very tightly and could not be pulled out, this story is often used to show that Wang Xianzhi has been serious and attentive since childhood, and it is not wrong, but it also makes people misunderstand, thinking that to practice calligraphy is to hold the pen shaft tightly. In fact, the calligraphy grip pen is tight and loose with the action of pressing and lifting, and it is impossible to hold the pen shaft tightly, so it is impossible to write movable words.
The sense of weight of the word does not depend on the use of the pen, and the lightness and elegance of the word do not depend on speed. Just as a bird is not painted in one stroke, but draws its wings and then its tail one by one, forming a flying posture. Words to reflect the sense of rhythm, from the perspective of skill analysis, relying on square pen and round pen, cursive round pen more, but if it is all "drawing circles", it is too floating, there is no sense of substance, to appropriately increase some square pen, wrist to adjust the direction, pen edge, pay attention to the breath of the through and the connection between the upper and lower pens, this is some technical details. It is not that the wild grass is blindly fast, and the script is blindly slow, this concept is wrong. The study of calligraphy should be "abandoned", and cannot be followed by others and follow the tide.
Q3
What is the biggest problem you encounter in the process of learning calligraphy?
It is mainly a matter of personal style formation. The formation of style requires a long process, on the one hand, relying on technical improvement, on the other hand, relying on personal cultivation, which is the kung fu outside the book. When the mind matures, the aesthetic style and orientation are formed. In the past, I always thought about how other people's styles were formed, anxious to form their own styles and could not, in this process I felt that I could not deliberately pursue, it was a natural process, when the time came, it would change. For example, Yan Zhenqing's "Duo Pagoda Stele" is completely different from the later "Magushan Immortal Altar", he died at the age of seventy-three, and the style presented to us is the current appearance, if he lived longer, the style may change. Therefore, the style and style will change with time, think clearly about this, there will be no hurry, everything is a matter of course.
Many people always like to emphasize that the style of a certain font is the work of a certain writer at a glance, which will cause a misunderstanding and make some people give up their books. Why are there so many jianghu bodies and ugly books now? It is in this regard that there are misunderstandings, the jianghu characters do not say, there is no foundation; but many of the ugly books are calligraphers, that is, too much pursuit of personal style and deviation.
Q4
Speaking of innovations in calligraphy, how do you see some of the current attempts to blend Chinese calligraphy with Western languages?
I do not agree with ignoring the cultural background of calligraphy for the sake of innovation, and blindly pursuing western formalization. Calligraphy is the art of line, but line art can not summarize the whole of calligraphy, calligraphy has a knot, there is a degree of law, away from the foundation of Chinese characters, away from the traditional Chinese aesthetic orientation and aesthetic psychology, then lose the national characteristics of calligraphy. Calligraphy is art but not pure art, and its cultural connotation is greater than that of pure art forms. Calligraphy is not calligraphy without Chinese culture.