We observed the scholars around us, examined some representative scholars in history, and found that each person's learning process has a similar law to follow, and we summarize this universal law as a figure, accompanied by a brief text description.
Learning is a lifelong thing for a person, and calligraphy is even more so. Whether amateur or professional, whether it is a general enthusiast or a calligrapher, there is no exception. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the whole process of learning the book, as well as the problems that may be encountered at each stage and the things that should be paid attention to. Especially beginners, if they are mentally prepared for the problems they may encounter in the process of learning books, they can take corresponding measures in time to avoid going astray or giving up halfway. For those who have studied for a period of time and have a certain foundation, they can also recall the road they have traveled, combine this map, and sit in the right place, so as to formulate a plan that conforms to the objective development law and is in line with their own reality for future learning, and further enhance their self-confidence in climbing to the peak of calligraphy art. It should be pointed out that this figure is only the general law of the study book, due to the difference in temperament, education, experience, environment and other factors, each person has its own particularities. And because of these peculiarities, the various stages of the comparative study book may not be fully suitable. For example, people with good penmanship and strong copying ability will pass faster in the rapid progress period; people with wide knowledge and high artistic accomplishment will improve the sublimation period more easily. Even if people with various factors and various conditions are relatively close, those who are diligent in cultivation and do not quit in cold and summer are naturally very different from those who fish for three days and dry nets for two days. Therefore, the time division of each stage is only relatively speaking, and there is no obvious boundary between the transitions between stages.
(1) Period of rapid progress
Starting from the "beginning", the first stage is called "The Rapid Progress Period." According to the correct learning path, start by copying the tablet, or tutoring alone, or participating in various types of study classes. Because people generally have a curiosity about new things, and because it is easy to get started at first, from dot painting to glyphs, often quickly have a bit of a shape, therefore, the enthusiasm for learning is relatively high, most people can do a good day, adhere to the daily practice, are more satisfied with their progress, and others often praise and encourage. Whether it is writing Yan or liu, whether it is writing Li or Wei, it is easy to take shape, and people with good penmanship can also choose a poem with more words on the inscription, "create" a work, self-appreciate or let friends, peers evaluate, and even participate in local exhibitions.
Reaching this level is relatively easy for ordinary people, as long as the method is right, with one or two inscriptions as the mainstay, insisting on copying, after about two years of efforts, it can be solved.
The most likely problem in this period is to see different ideas. Because just entering the door of calligraphy art, it is like arriving at a place that has never been visited before, everything is fresh and has a strong attraction. And because there are not many inscriptions and legal books that I have seen before, my ability to appreciate them is naturally poor. Therefore, every time I see a stele, I feel novel, I want to compare it with the stele I am visiting, and I can often find the "advantages" that the stele I am facing does not have, so I change the car and start a new post. After ten days and a half months, I saw another inscription, and I would abandon the old map and make a new one. So, in the face of Qin Twilight Chu, the dragonfly lit up with water, and in the end, they ended up with nothing.
Therefore, in this period, the key is to choose the right inscription and firmly study it, and never see any change of thought.
(2) Slow progress period
After the previous stage of study, we can basically grasp the characteristics of the entry inscription, that is, the initial achievement of "entering the post". But after all, this kind of effect is preliminary and naïve, the words in the inscriptions can still be seen when they are written, and the words that are not in the inscriptions are very difficult to write, and they are often overwhelmed by leaving the posts. Therefore, as a "base area", it still needs a lot of time and more arduous labor to consolidate, so it naturally enters a "period of relaxation".
As the name suggests, progress at this stage is relatively slow. It is necessary to master the laws of the stele that was learned in the previous stage, so that the words that are not in the post can also be written by hand, and let the experts look at it, and they can recognize the patriarchal He family and the origin of the Post. For this reason, it is obviously not enough to just stay in the script. Pay attention to gradually opening your horizons and enriching yourself. For example, one should do a deeper study of the inscriptions one has learned: its background and style of writing at that time, its lineage and origins, etc., so that from the horizontal and vertical aspects, we should make an understanding of the inscriptions we have learned, find out the inscriptions that are directly related to them, as an auxiliary to the study, and even change to these inscriptions. At the same time, we should also pay attention to cultivating interest in sister arts such as painting (especially Chinese painting), music, and dance, and gradually improve our aesthetic ability. When you have time, you should also read some literary works, especially the classical literature of the mainland, such as poems, words, songs, fu, etc., and constantly improve your literary literacy. We must not ignore these things that seem to have nothing to do with writing, and we must be willing to spend some effort on these "extra-word work", which may take up some time to practice words, but it is worth it, and it will be more and more aware of its importance in the long road of calligraphy in the future.
At this stage of learning, the results are not as obvious as in the previous stage. Over time, the novelty gradually disappears, the heat of learning will gradually decline; the impact of work and social activities; the interference of housework; the improvement process of calligraphy, which is originally wave-like, sometimes may stagnate, and even appear "retrogressive phenomenon"... All of the above reasons may deter some people from doing so, so that their previous achievements will be abandoned. Therefore, the key to this stage is to strengthen the consciousness of learning, to deal with the relationship between learning calligraphy in one's own work and housework, to forge ahead in spite of difficulties, and to withstand when progress is slow or even stagnant. The experience of those who have no mathematical books proves that at this time, a qualitative leap is being bred outside, and as long as the method is properly adhered to and persisted, there will be great progress. It is "the mountains and rivers are doubtful and there is no way, and the willows are dark and the flowers are bright and another village.".
After about 4-6 years of slow-forward learning stage, the basic skills of calligraphy have been generally mastered, such as the performance and use of paper, ink, pen is more handy, the basic mastery of the learned inscriptions, can choose their favorite poems, couplets, according to the traditional format, create banners, couplets and other forms of works, and often can be praised by experts "This painting is written face, quite kung fu", "that painting is written by Wang Xizhi, a little interesting". Some people with hearts can also master a certain theory of calligraphy and have the initial ability to appreciate.
Ordinary people who learn calligraphy can reach this level through unremitting efforts, and then enter a relatively stable stage. However, a small number of people have declined before they have entered a stable period. Poor artistic attainment is an important reason, and some of them also have a fatal weakness - the rush to fame. Their typical performance is that they think they write well and have a certain foundation, so they "create" new ones. What is the unique essence of calligraphy art, what is the traditional essence of calligraphy art, what is the development law of calligraphy art, and so on, they do not care at all, and blindly pursue the crazy monster. What's more, some people take advantage of the lack of calligraphy knowledge in some areas and departments, and instead regard themselves as "calligraphers", take the pen as their body, and sensationalize the public, which is actually vulgar and rude, and wastes art, and the spread of falsehoods is very harmful.
Now with the rapid development of the calligraphy industry, people's appreciation level and ability to identify are constantly improving, so the number of people who take this road is gradually decreasing, and their market is getting smaller and smaller, and eventually it will inevitably be eliminated.
(3) Period of stability
The stability period is a very critical moment in the long road of learning, and if it continues to develop, most people will inevitably enter a rigid stage, whether consciously or unconsciously. It is not easy to engage in any career and achieve a certain achievement, especially calligraphy. Some people compare it to high jump, the general height, athletes can achieve through effort, and the progress is relatively fast, often five centimeters, ten centimeters of upwards, but to a meter of seven, eight or more, it is very difficult, each increase of one centimeter, often need to pay several times the previous price, if the method is improper or slightly slack, there is a possibility of decline. Calligraphy has entered a stable period before and after this situation, because the difficulty of continuing to improve has increased, many people are afraid, satisfied with the existing level, unwilling to make another arduous long journey, which is the most important reason for entering the rigid period. There are also some people, who have not seen much and have little theoretical guidance, so they wander up, not knowing where to go next, and after a long time, their hearts and hands are naturally rigid. Therefore, the stabilization period should be shortened as much as possible. This requires that, on the one hand, we should constantly consolidate the existing achievements and continue to operate the base areas that have been established over the years; on the other hand, we must accumulate strength, "spy on the direction," prepare to expand the territory, create a new situation, and strive to enter the sublimation period at an early date.
Sun Guoting's "Book Genealogy" Yun: "Beginners learn to distribute, but seek peace and integrity, both know the peace and integrity, and pursue the danger, both can be dangerous, and return to peace and integrity." Before the sublimation period, it can be regarded as the stage of "seeking peace and justice", and entering the sublimation period has begun the arduous mileage of "chasing danger".
(4) Sublimation period
It has been mentioned in the slow-forward period that it is necessary to be willing to spend some time on "character external skills", and in the sublimation period of climbing to the peak of calligraphy art, "character external skills" are particularly important.
The cultivation of "word skills" is multifaceted. The first is literary accomplishment, especially classical literature, which is directly related to the characteristics of calligraphy art. Calligraphy has a long history, a large number of book classics are literary, without a certain ancient literary foundation, it is impossible to read; the content of calligraphy works, mostly written poems, conjunctions, without a certain knowledge of grammar, it is difficult to understand, these are still superficial and direct. More importantly, literary accomplishment is the foundation and the fundamental, it determines a person's temperament and quality, and these internal factors are very important for whether a person can succeed in the cause of calligraphy. A look at the history of calligraphy shows that all the calligraphers of the past generations have been writers, poets, and scholars.
In addition to literary accomplishment, we should also pay attention to cultivating a wide range of hobbies. The art of calligraphy and other sister arts, such as music, painting, drama, dance, etc., are closely related and can draw rich nourishment from them. The wider a person's knowledge, the deeper the understanding of the art of calligraphy, and the higher the aesthetic taste, which has been discussed before.
Another point that needs to be emphasized is to go out of the bucket room, to the society, to the nature, to breathe the breath of the times, to cover the mountains and rivers of the motherland, to nourish our feelings, to broaden our minds. The ancients still knew that "reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles" is even more important in the information age full of reform.
Of course, after talking so much, in the end, it is still inseparable from practicing words, and it is not a substitute for practicing words. The first step from the stability period to the sublimation period is very critical, to have courage, dare to pursue, and boldly make breakthroughs. In the period of slow progress, it was mentioned that you should find some inscriptions that are directly related to the stele you have learned, which means that when the foundation is not yet solid, you should not take too big a step. Now, like building a building, the foundation has been laid, and it is time to develop to the top. This means broadening our horizons, making extensive expositions, going up and down for thousands of years, crossing hundreds of schools, all kinds of books, all kinds of genres, and trying to get involved as much as possible; we must have extensive contact and conversation with people in the calligraphy world; we must read more professional books and periodicals; ... This is the only way to improve the level of appreciation, and only the eye height can be high.
Next, how to write the word. There are basically two methods: one is to follow the original inscriptions, trace their origins, find their flow, do some research, and then decide on the main target. For example, it was originally written yan, and Yan Zhenqing's main patriarchal law, Wang Xizhi, was also melted into the penmanship of Han Wei and even Zhou Qin, so it was not necessary to rewrite Wang Xizhi's biography or choose one or two of them in the Wei Stele, Lishu, and Seal Book to write for a period of time. In this way, you will naturally feel that the method of using the pen has increased and become more alive, the dot paintings written are more connotative and more interesting, and the ability to conclude words is naturally enhanced. It is also necessary to find its source, countless calligraphers who have been influenced by Yan Zhenqing in the past, Liu Gongquan of the late Tang Dynasty, Yang Ningshi of the Five Dynasties, Song Sijia, Ming Dong Qichang, Wang Duo, Fu Shan, etc., or Kaishu, or Xingshu all reveal the atmosphere of Yanshu to varying degrees, especially in the Qing Dynasty, Qian Feng, Liu Yong, He Shaoji, Weng Tonghe, Zhao Zhiqian and other scholars, Shifa Yan body is more obvious, but the listed families have their own faces. Therefore, we may wish to do some analysis one by one to see how they inherited the ancients, without being bound by the ancients and creating new paths. This is very beneficial and will give us a lot of suggestions for learning. The above methods are easier to use and more secure, but the results are often slower.
Another way is to deliberately find awkwardness with yourself, including many aspects. For example, originally it was written for stele, now it is biased to write posts; originally it was written in lishu, now it is more to write line books; the original writing is more showy, now it is more rough to write; the original writing is more flat, now it is more strange and dangerous; the original writing is flatter, now it is more elongated; the original writing is slower, now it is faster; the original use of hard millimeters, now more soft milli; the original habit of using glue ink, now mixed with some water; the original love to write sitting, now biased to stand to write; ... And so on, one purpose: to strive for big changes in the short term. This is even more courageous, even to take some risks, may fail, so that you have to go back and start again, even so, you can learn lessons from it, paving the way for the next step. Some people liken this method to "distant marriage". It is not unreasonable, as long as "both sides are healthy", it is possible to achieve "eugenics". The so-called "health of both sides" means that the basic skills are solid and the targets are selected well, so that they are conducive to the emergence of new ones without departing from the law. Otherwise, "freaks" are inevitable.
The above two methods should vary from person to person, and in general, it is advisable to use the first one first and then use the second one, and also to flexibly grasp and rotate according to the different situations in different periods.
According to the "Book Genealogy", this issue is "knowing that it is fair and righteous, and it is necessary to pursue dangers".
(5) Maturity period
After more than ten years of continuous exploration, continuous pursuit, experience is gradually enriched, the realm is gradually sublimated, and the kung fu of the pen is gradually maturing, so far, nature has reached the realm of "full use of proficiency, rules are hidden in the mind, nature is allowed to wander, meaning to write first, dashing and wandering, Han Yi Shenfei", reaching the realm of "when the general meeting, people and books are old". Here it needs to be pointed out that "old people" means the maturity of cultivation, "old books" means the depth of achievements, we cannot mistakenly understand "old people" as old age, there is no shortage of examples of young and famous scholars in history, the famous book saint Wang Xizhi only lived for more than fifty years, and his son Wang Xianzhi lived for more than forty years, and their achievements and influence can be said to be unparalleled.
According to the calligraphy of the "Book Genealogy", at this point, it is already "able to be dangerous and return to peace". This "pingzheng" is not a reduction of the "pingzheng" in the first stage, nor is it a regression of the "dangerous" in the second stage, but it is also "pingzheng", but it is qualitatively different, and after the "pingzheng" of "dangerous", it is a return to simplicity.
From its inception to maturity, after more than twenty extreme heat and cold, a calligraphy enthusiast has finally grown into a calligrapher. This is a arduous journey of the strong in the ocean of knowledge to the other side of the light, and another happy journey of the winner from the inevitable kingdom of calligraphy to the kingdom of freedom. The future of calligraphy art in the motherland is pinning hopes on these people who are facing forward and down-to-earth!
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Wang Cheng, a famous contemporary calligrapher, was the vice chairman of the Henan Provincial Federation of Literature, the vice chairman of the Henan Book Association, the director of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, and the member of the Creation Review Committee of the Chinese Calligraphers Association. He is the author of "Wei Ti Xingshu and Its Representative Calligraphers", "Theory of the Stage of Learning Calligraphy", "Commentary on Kang Youwei Calligraphy", "A Generation of Calligraphers Yu Youren", "Contemporary Calligraphy Reflections", "Notes on the Main Calligraphers of Henan Dynasties", etc., and edited the "Complete Collection of Chinese Calligraphy • Kang Liang Luo Zheng Volume" and "The Complete Collection of Chinese Calligraphy • Yu Ren Volume", and served as the editorial board member of "Complete Collection of Chinese Modern Art And Calligraphy Volume".
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