On March 21, 2022, Peng Wenbin, artistic director of Guangzhou International Art Fair, executive editor of Fine Arts, and honorary editor of Collection Weekly, and Wu Huiping, dean and doctoral supervisor of the School of Fine Arts Education of Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, conducted an in-depth art dialogue, and the two of them had a multi-dimensional discussion on topics such as calligraphy creation and art essence at The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts (Changgang Campus).
This article was first published at the Guangzhou International Art Fair
Text | Wen Bihui, a reporter from Art Jian magazine
Live photography | Tang Caihua
Edit the Typography | Duyi
The following is the content of the dialogue (the full text is 1946 words, about 5 minutes of reading)
(Peng Wenbin = Peng)
(Wu Huiping = Wu)
The pandemic is also an opportunity
Peng: At the moment of the epidemic, it seems to be full of crises, but it is actually an opportunity. First, the epidemic will eliminate artists whose artistic accomplishment is not enough, and the epidemic will be like a funnel, filtering out a large number of artists. Second, due to the impact of the epidemic, many offline activities have been restricted, so many artists have turned their positions to online, selling their art works at cabbage prices through live broadcasts and other means, seemingly cutting the leeks of the public and obtaining short-term economic benefits, but in fact, they have killed their own artistic life and destroyed their own price system. Third, artists who have devoted themselves to cultivation during the epidemic will have their artistic accomplishment improved to a certain extent, and after the epidemic, it is an opportunity for powerful artists.
Wu: Yes, after the epidemic, it is an opportunity for powerful artists. Taking calligraphy creation as an example, no matter how high the social status is, it is useless, and it can support itself to go on, and the most essential thing is its own calligraphy cultivation.
Readability of advanced theories
Peng: Teacher Wu, your book "Pen Xiang, Pen Intention, Pen Style: The Art of Calligraphy Appreciation" is written in a simple and easy-to-understand book, which is suitable for non-professionals and professionals. Without a blunt theory throughout, ordinary readers can learn about the geography of calligraphy culture, the psychology of calligraphy, the study of calligraphy styles, the aesthetics of calligraphy, and the history of calligraphy. At the same time, it is also suitable for professionals to read, and the novel entry angle may bring some new thinking to professionals.
Wu: Thank you for your compliments. The first edition was completed in 2019 and thousands of books sold out; by 2021, it will rethink, adjust, supplement, and improve the second edition. There are three reasons why I wrote this book: First, I have been committed to the study of the cultural geography of calligraphy before, and since 2014, I have been thinking about how to move to the ontology of calligraphy, which is the second transfer point of my academic research, and in many years of teaching work, I have gradually realized that how to appreciate calligraphy is a very important topic.
Second, since the 1980s, tasting Chinese calligraphy by the Influence of Western art aesthetics, in recent years the country has been advocating cultural self-confidence, I think we should establish a local calligraphy aesthetic system, I will be ancient culture and art often mentioned in the "image, meaning, realm" extracted, and recombined, respectively from the physical, psychological and realm three aspects, hoping to build our own calligraphy aesthetic system.
Third, in fact, the theory is not profound, and the theory must always be implemented to guide practice. I hope that the aesthetic knowledge and cultural background of calligraphy will be shared with the general public through simple and easy-to-understand words, calligraphy is our national culture, and everyone should understand calligraphy and understand the history of calligraphy.
Only by being there can we have the right to speak
Peng: "Image, Meaning, And Environment" are three very abstract words, and your transformation from abstraction to a highly practical concept of calligraphy appreciation shows that you have made a lot of efforts behind your back. Mr. Picasso once spoke highly of Chinese calligraphy, and he was amazed by the abstract beauty of Chinese calligraphy art, such as the fat and thin strokes, the curvature of the direction, the slowness of the march, the square circle of the turn, the dryness of the ink method, etc., all of which are very oriental abstract beauty.
"The things of the world are better known to those who hear than those who see them, and those who see them are not as well known as those who live." I personally advocate that (art) critics must be artists, and only by being present in the reality of artistic creation can they write vivid and profound commentaries. If you directly apply or quote the words of your predecessors, or apply philosophical concepts, the comments written are unconvincing.
This is like a traveler, only by traveling through the three mountains and five mountains can you know where the peaks, the sea, and the abyss are. If you do not eat chili peppers, you will say that they are spicy; if you have not given birth, you will talk about the pain of childbirth, and your words will not be convincing.
Literary popularity is a natural outpouring of literary accomplishment
Peng: Teacher Wu, you have a lot of achievements in calligraphy creation and academic theory, how do you balance academic research and creative practice?
Wu: The ideal state is to balance theory and practice, so that it can be justified. In our own research field, we should be professional, when the theory reaches the master's and doctoral level, we hope that our practical level is also constantly improving. Just as the public expects a ph.D., the level of calligraphy of a ph.D. should be at a high level. This is what the public expects of us, and at the same time it should be our self-requirement to walk on two legs, theory and practice.
Peng: Teacher Wu, you are a scholar-type artist, and I am very happy that you have become an academic advisor of the Guangzhou Art Fair, which will help everyone to understand and appreciate calligraphy more systematically. Regarding the popularity of calligraphy, I would like to discuss and communicate with Teacher Wu, and I think that when the level of technique and literary accomplishment reaches a certain height, the natural flow of the author's literary accomplishment between the lines of calligraphy is the popularity of calligraphy.
The culture of the Song Dynasty is dazzling, and the literati paintings of the Song Dynasty are one of the most exciting contents. We are familiar with Mr. Su Shi and other literary giants, their literary attainments are excellent. Poetry is the medium through which they express their emotions, and writing is the process by which they create literature, so whether it is calligraphy or literature, they have reached a certain height. Nowadays, when a painting is created at will, it is called "literati painting", which is not advisable, literati painting should be a comprehensive expression of literary cultivation and artistic accomplishment, and artistic techniques alone are not enough to be called literati paintings.
Wu: Yes, it is the so-called "book is like its person". This is also the question I often mention to students, that is, what problems can calligraphy solve? I think calligraphy is a kind of practice, which can not only make up for people's deficiencies, but also cultivate people's disposition. Calligraphy cannot be written deadly, but should be written about one's own state of mind and state. Learning calligraphy is not only to learn the teacher's techniques, but more importantly, to learn the teacher's state, cultivation and cultural vision.
Dialogue character introduction
Wu Huiping
Wu Huiping, male, from Changde, Hunan. Postdoctoral Fellow, Professor. He is a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association and a member of the Xiling Printing Society. He is currently the dean of the School of Fine Arts Education of The Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, the director of the Institute of Aesthetic Education and Art Education, and the doctoral supervisor. Chairman of Guangdong University Calligraphy Education Professional Committee, Executive Vice Chairman of Guangdong University Art and Design Professional Committee, Vice Chairman of Guangdong Calligraphy Critics Association, Vice Chairman of Guangdong Young Calligraphers Association. He has won the second prize of the 3rd Lanting Award, the highest award of Chinese calligraphy, the second prize of the 9th Calligraphy Seminar, the second prize of the 1st National Textbook Construction Award, the first prize of the 9th Guangdong Provincial Education and Teaching Achievements, and the special prize of the 2021 Guangdong Education and Teaching Achievements (Higher Education Category).
The eighth batch of training objects of the "Thousand Hundred and Ten Talents Training Project" of Guangdong Colleges and Universities. His representative works include "A Brief Discussion on the Geographical Environment and Chinese Calligraphy" (1996), "Research on the Cultural Geography of Calligraphy" (2009), "The Relationship between Calligraphy and Painting from the Juxtaposition of Books and Paintings" (2012), "A New Theory of Calligraphy Appreciation" (2014), "Calligraphy Practice Guide" approved by the Ministry of Education for primary and secondary schools," "Calligraphy Practice Guide" (2014), "Entering Lingnan Calligraphy" (2014), "From the Authenticity of the Preface to the Orchid Pavilion" to The "Star-Making Movement" of Tang Taizong (2015), Penmanship, PenManship, PenJing- The Art of Calligraphy Appreciation (2019), etc.
Appreciation of Wu Huiping's works
Appreciation of works
Wu Huiping's calligraphy works
"Reading for Goodness and Attaining Happiness, Watering Flowers and Planting Grass to Generate Joy"
97.5x21.5cmx2
"Don't Be Insulted" 58x28cm
"Don't Move, Words Must Be Reasonable" 58x28cm
"Shadow horizontal oblique water is shallow, dark incense floating moon dusk" 58x28cm
Peng Wenbin
He is a well-known art critic and curator, a visiting scholar of Peking University (Fine Arts), an honorary editor-in-chief of Collection Weekly, an executive editor of Fine Arts, an executive editor of Artist, and the artistic director of Guangzhou International Art Fair.
In 20 years, he has curated 19 consecutive major international art fairs.
In 20 years, he has curated more than 500 solo exhibitions by domestic and foreign artists.
In the past 20 years, he has visited more than 2,000 artist studios in more than 20 countries around the world, providing solutions for art academic creation and art market for more than 5,000 artists around the world.
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