In 1913, a teenager applied for the first category of the preparatory department of Peking University, played a good role, and went home full of joy to wait for the good news, and he could not imagine that there was no name of his own when the list was issued, and he was extremely disappointed!
After that, the teenager who had been remorseful for falling off the list unexpectedly received an enrollment notice from Peking University, and the interesting thing was that the notice was written with three words from Shen Deming, which was a word difference from his own name.
When he checked in, the teenager found that when he filled out the list, he scribbled and wrote the word "Hong" like a "ming" character. Writing this, I believe that book lovers know who he is? A generation of literature and calligraphy masters - Mao Dun, formerly known as Shen Dehong.
▲ Part of Mao Dun's manuscript that was auctioned for 12.075 million yuan
▲ Mao Dun
It was this incident of applying for Peking University at that time that achieved the indissoluble relationship between Mao Dun and calligraphy.
▲ Mao Dun's letter to Ba Jin
This incident touched him a lot, just like the popular joke on the Internet, it was obviously the name of "Chu Zhongtian", but it was pronounced "Lin Egg Big"! This matter is put on ordinary people, and it is regarded as a normal thing that is not dangerous.
Inscription of the First National Exhibition
But when he arrived at Mao Dun, who was stronger, he felt that it was an opportunity to correct his attitude towards calligraphy, and since then, he has written one stroke at a time, upright, never sloppy, until he was more than 80 years old, writing memoirs, and also writing with a brush in block letters, and the handwriting was clear and handsome.
▲ Mao Dun Xingshu Xijiang Yue
▲ Mao Dun calligraphy
Mao Dun never considered himself a calligrapher, just as Mr. Lu Weizhao of the Stele Sect repeatedly commented on himself with regret when he was most famous: "I didn't expect to end up with a calligrapher and painter in the end." ”
▲ Mao Dun's photo when the Literary Research Society was founded
Not only Lu Weizhao, Zhu Xi and Ma Yifu were the same, saying that he was a calligrapher and would be angry with them. In fact, there was never a professional calligrapher in ancient China, and calligraphy and literature were two carriages in parallel. As Lu Weizhao said, if I had been asked to be a calligrapher at the beginning, this would have been very small and very small, and the last stream would have been!
Mao Dun wrote for practical purposes and was not regarded as artistic creation. Talking about his calligraphy, he once said, "Not a body, thin gold has seen, unlearned, when he was a teenager, he once visited the Dong Meiren Monument, and later scribbled." ”
▲ Page 76 of Mao Dun's manuscript of "Shaken"
▲ Elderly Mao Dun
Mao Dun, the first minister of culture of New China, was 75 years old in 1970 and was still concerned about the study and life of his grandchildren during the ten years of turmoil, but during the "Cultural Revolution", his grandchildren dropped out of school. Mao Dun personally went into battle, compiling his own teaching materials and personally teaching and teaching his grandchildren to write.
Mao Dun was still able to write such a grand textbook with a brush in his hand in his twilight years, which was really impressive! This kind of "underground education" that Mao Dun insists on is an act that maintains the lifeblood of Chinese culture.
▲ Mao Dun's manuscript of "Midnight", originally named "Sunset"
The reason why so much emphasis is placed on cultural education and the inheritance of calligraphy is that Mao Dun is a gorgeous calligraphy learning path.
When he studied at Peking University, he was directly influenced by Shen Yinmo, Shen Jianshi and others, and his calligraphy made a lot of efforts in the study of Yan Liukai' calligraphy, and he also learned a lot from the practice of grass in the history of calligraphy.
▲ Handwriting of ancient poems in xingkai
▲ Mao Dun's handwritten letters from the Shanghai Municipal Archives
After the reform and development, Mao Dun and many old friends began to exchange letters, and many of the friends also asked Mao Dun for "ink treasure", Mao Dun always responded to every request, on the one hand, he was modest, calling himself "clumsy in writing", and on the other hand, he began to pay attention to the form of calligraphy, so more and more people asked for words.
Among them, it is required to write the title of the journal, the name of the school, and the writing of the link for the places of interest and monuments, and later even to the point of countless debts.
Mao Dun's literary writing was so self-conscious that even if he had no intention of becoming a calligrapher, he still became a famous writer at the practical level. This is very similar to Lu Xun's experience.
As the so-called "unintentional willows are lined with willows, intentional ink is like a sea." ”
Mao Dun successfully combined literary writing with calligraphy writing, and both were "immortal in ink".
At the same time, his unfunct love of calligraphy and his prudent attitude of rejecting the name of calligrapher are also worthy of reflection and learning from our contemporary calligraphy community!
▲ Mao Dun copied the handwriting of ancient poems and annotated parts
Nowadays, many calligraphers and painters, the feeling of being overwhelmed by cattle, and the lofty pursuit of "not expecting to end up as a calligrapher and painter" are completely contrary to the road! In the past, the literati masters of calligraphy and painting of all generations took the world as their duty.
Like Xu Wei will also say, the end of a calligrapher, he inscribed poems such as "the pearl at the bottom of the pen has nowhere to sell, idle and thrown in the wild vine". In fact, Chinese painting and calligraphy are mainly based on the feelings of soldiers as the greatest and moving place.
Chinese calligraphy itself is not a separate pure art, it is comprehensive and must have a context.
Today's calligraphers, such as the pursuit of visual effects, the pursuit of shock, calligraphy live demonstration like acrobatics, but for the sake of bluff.
The style of literati calligraphy represented by Mao Dun is the lofty pursuit of family and country feelings and governing the country and the world, and they attach the most importance to the continuation and development of the literary context.
There are many masters who call themselves calligraphers and have no achievements in other fields. The words written out are not understood by the people and do not approve. In the face of criticism, in the name of "innovation", create a bunch of new terms that no one can understand to scare people, and expand contacts in circles to enhance personal influence!
▲ Mao Dun Xingshu Xijiang Yue
Compared with the vulgar pursuit of these "professional calligraphers", the literati calligraphers represented by Mao Dun bring us unlimited thinking with their unique charm and pure starting point!