Nightshade put the pen under the south window to write the first branch of spring
Text/Xiang Bin
"The new year comes and the old year resigns, and Yantian Changken is my teacher." Nightshade put the pen under the south window and write the first branch of spring. "February 1, 2022 happens to be the first day of the first lunar month of the Lunar New Year, and it is rare for the Gregorian calendar to be completely consistent with the lunar calendar date. In order to commemorate this unusual Spring Festival, I specially created a piece of "MoMeitu" and inscribed the seven poems "Write the First Branch of Spring" to open my new year.
During the Spring Festival, it is the best response for people to look forward to spring. Early spring drizzle, everything recovers, peach plums with buds to bloom, red plums steep branches. Write a few sparse plum shadows, let the dark incense float; the number of lines of the book is clear and clear, so that the poetry lingers. Feeling the spring breeze in some coldness is the nature of the cold plum primrose; waiting for the clear sky in the snow and rain is the voice of the world's blessing. I like plum blossoms, not to pity the loss of "lonely and open without a master", nor to praise the nobility of "pretty and not to compete for spring", but more to feel the cold fragrance wafting in the cold wind, and to taste the dark fragrance of the heart; or to appreciate the faint flower shadow reflected on the calm water, obsessed with the shadow of the early spring rain. The plums of the painters of the past generations have very different styles. The elegance of jinnong plum blossoms, the luxuriant plum blossoms of Luo Ping, the simplicity of Yang Wuxian plum blossoms, the condensation of Chen Daofu plum blossoms, the qing qi of Wang Yuanzhang's plum blossoms, and the wind and bone of Peng Yulin's plum blossoms are all spiritual portrayals of different levels of plum blossoms by ancient literati on the mainland. Today's plum painters, not only to visit the ancient masterpieces, master their pen and ink skills and composition layout, but also pay attention to the natural plum blossoms and the fragrance of the nose, but also to understand its plum blossom spirit and poetic artistic conception, only the distant ancients, the near master Mei Ying, the outer teacher nature, the inner teacher Xinjun, can truly paint the plum blossom with both form and god and the transcendent artistic conception. I once wrote in my own "Memetu": "Mo hates Dongjun when he is always mistaken, and the cold and warm in the world know each other." I have a little understanding of plum blossoms in my heart, and I should be the first idiot of Han Xiang. "If you are not obsessed with Mei, you will not understand Mei's heart!"
I paint plum blossoms, especially ink plums, and use the boneless painting method, occasionally using rouge to paint red plums or white plums with light ink. As far as the picture is concerned, I prefer plum branches, which are both old and vigorous and vivid and fresh, densely combined, and interlaced. I write plum branches mostly using a center pen, called the seal pen method, with a pen easy and strong, the speed is not hurried, the heart seems to be scattered, in the leisure contains an uplifting atmosphere, in the strength of the strength does not lose the elegant wind. If the flowers do not bloom, there is no spring meaning; if the flowers are fully bloomed, they will wither immediately; therefore, the plum blossoms in my pen are vivid in light ink, and they are dense and realistic, and they have both blooming shapes and bones with buds. And I think that the most difficult person to paint plum blossoms is the flower bud. The pen of the flower bud is thin but not weak, delicate but not brittle, soft and continuous, straight but not firm, complex but not chaotic, simple but not virtual, so the use of the pen is extremely subtle. The thick ink dots on the plum branches are also the finishing touches of the plum dots, which are not many, and the ink dots are cumbersome; and they are indispensable, and the plum branches are weak; more importantly, the ink dots cannot be evenly arranged, and the shape and spacing of the ink dots should change, showing a natural state. Of course, the self-titled poems on the painting are the soul of my paintings. My mood every time I paint plum is not exactly the same, sometimes I want to express the plum blossom's cold bloom, sometimes I want to express the lonely and arrogant pride of the plum blossom, sometimes I want to express the primrose mission of the plum blossom, sometimes I want to express the purity and elegance of the plum blossom, so every time I paint, I am adjusting the taste of pen and ink with my inner feelings, although I have nearly a hundred Yongmei poems, but after each painting, I hope to write new Yongmei verses, so as to more truly reflect the inner feelings of painting at that time, and use poetry and book to integrate the painting to further awaken the soul of the plum blossom.
In fact, a true literati calligrapher and painter, if he wants to draw a transcendent plum blossom picture, must read the character and wind and bone of the plum blossom from the bottom of his heart, or elegant, or lonely, or lively, or concise and distant, only when he reaches the state of obsession, can he draw a plum blossom picture with a soul. I once wrote a poem with the inscription plum: "It is easy to admire plums and it is difficult to draw plums, and I am full of pen and ink in my chest." Yan envied Lonely Mountain and Jing Lao, and this wife accompanied herself at ease. Lin Hejing is a real plum addict, he once planted plums, admired plums, and poetry plums on the lonely mountain in Hangzhou, and the story of his "plum wife and crane" has been passed down for a long time, and the realm of plum appreciation can be described as unique in ancient and modern times. Therefore, Xin Shuyi wrote in his "Huan Xi Sha": "There are chrysanthemums in the yuanming side, and if there is no peace and jing, there is no plum." Xin Zhiyi truly understood tao Yuanming's love of picking chrysanthemums in his heart, and his heart of "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the South Mountain" was unencumbered, and it was the most beautiful and sincere intention that people wanted to argue and forget; Xin Qicheng understood the shadow and dark fragrance in Lin Hejing's heart, if it were not for Lin Kui who truly realized the elegance and beauty of plum blossoms, how could he write the unique masterpiece of "the shadow is shallow and shallow, and the dark fragrance floats in the dusk of the moon"? Therefore, in Xin Zhiyi's view, since tao Yuanming, the chrysanthemums in the world have blossomed into meaning; if there is no crazy mei gaoshi like Lin Hejing, where in this world is there still the spiritual character and soul of plum blossoms? Huang Guyun: "The world is clear, do not choose the wise and foolish to go with it, but I am suspicious of my generation." "Sincerely! If there is no poet, the world is as clear as a fabrication; if there is no poet, what is the realm of all things in the world? I once wrote in my own "MoMeitu": "A flower shadow is a poem of its own, twisting and turning across the shallow pool." Not seeing Lonely Mountain and Jing Lao, Dark Xiang Floating asked who knows. "In my opinion, the only person who really appreciates the floating of plum blossoms and dark fragrance is Lin and Jing in the past!" Nowadays, there are those who paint plums, or there are masters of high people, but there are very few people who can really integrate the soul of painting poetry. Although I am not praised for painting plums, my love for plums is not inferior to others. There is his own inscription Plum Seven Absolute Evidence, Shi Yun: "This flower prefers to the door of the house, and the ink is the posture of the poem as the soul." It must be the previous life of the calyx, the obsession is still in old Megan. ”
Of course, the beauty of the New Year period cannot be monopolized by plum blossoms, even if it is painted, there will be orchid and bamboo paintings, and those who directly reflect the state of mind of daily life are poetry. The Spring Festival's New Year's Greetings, the Lantern Festival's fireworks, the tea tasting and drinking at home, and the appreciation of the scenery and singing wind when going out are all rare poetry materials. Although the same festivals are experienced every year, the harvest is different every year, and the natural state of mind is different, only poetry can truly record various moods, make ordinary days full of fun, and make beautiful scenery condense into poems. The poetic day is not the spectacle of the fly camp, nor the vanity of the dream, but the brilliance of the sun, moon, mountains and rivers, and the beautiful art of life. I put an end to the February draft of the "Deyu Poetry Painting" with the inscription bamboo poem written before Li Chun: "Don't hate the spring thunder to break the ground late, and the heavenly edge and phenology are two reasons." The big cold helps me ling yunzhi, the most high wind and bright festival. ”
(Originally published in the 2nd issue of "Thinking and Wisdom" in the middle of the issue "Book Teaching")
Attached part of the February 2022 calligraphy and painting works:
Xiang Bin, Hunan Xinhuaren, No. Deyu Tang, Doctor of Aesthetics, Professor, Graduate Supervisor, Scholar, Poet, Calligrapher and Painter. Deputy Director of the Research Center for Contemporary Oriental Art of Central South University, Researcher of Xu Beihong Art Research Institute of Chinese Min University; Vice President of the Higher Calligraphy Education Branch of the (National) Education Calligraphy and Painting Association; Member of the Calligraphy Education Committee of the Chinese Calligraphers Association; Member of the Chinese Literary and Art Critics Association; Member of the Chinese Poetry Society; Vice President and Secretary General of the Hunan Provincial Visual Art Review Committee. He has served as the chief editor of calligraphy education planning textbooks (16 volumes) in colleges and universities and edited "Introduction to Calligraphy", "Poetry And Writing", chief editor of the high school art standard textbook "Chinese Calligraphy and Painting", published 16 books such as "Research on Ancient Chinese Calligraphy Education", "Types and Education of Contemporary Calligraphy Talents", "Mengsutang Calligraphy and Painting History - Aesthetics and Creation of Literati Calligraphy and Painting", and published more than 100 papers. He has won more than ten national, provincial and ministerial awards, including the second prize of the Theory Award of the 4th Chinese Calligraphy Lanting Award, the 6th Outstanding Scientific Research Achievement Award of Colleges and Universities, the First Prize of the 8th National Calligraphy Symposium, the "Wang Xizhi Calligraphy Award" of the 20th Lanting Calligraphy Festival, the 3rd Taishan Literature and Art Award and the Shandong Calligraphy Creation Achievement Award.