Mr. Xu Baitao, a famous calligrapher and seal engraver in Beijing, drove to the west of hexi at the age of 95 and died in the blink of an eye for 10 years.
Speaking of "Bo Tao", many people may not be familiar with it. In fact, "Bai Tao" is all around you. If you have patronized the "Qingfeng Bun Shop", the store door plaque "Qingfeng Bun Shop" those few powerful Wei stele body characters are inscribed by Mr. Bai Tao.
Of course, saying "Qingfeng Bun Shop" is just an introduction, starting from a place you are familiar with. Before his death, Mr. Xu Baitao was a member of the Chinese Calligraphers Association and a special first-class calligraphy seal engraver in Beijing. A few years ago, when beijing had not yet unified the bridge names in various fonts on the overpass, Mr. Xu Baitao's overpass name written in large seal font was particularly eye-catching. Today, in some public places in Beijing, mr. Wang's ink can still be seen. To understand Mr. Bai Tao's artistic life and mr. Bai Tao's relationship with Beijing, please listen to me slowly.
Learn without getting tired
Wei Beiti: Fenfei
"Elegant Fun" in Xuanwu Art Park
At the age of 15, he learned to go to "Cuiwen Pavilion"
In the cultural street of Beijing Liulichang, you can see colorful and antique stores everywhere, and among the many carved beam paintings, one of the shops has the name of "Cuiwen Pavilion".
In the Republic of China era before the founding of New China, on the simple streets of Beijing Liulichang, Rong Baozhai operated calligraphy and painting, CuiwenGe operated gold stone seal carvings, an east street, a west street, accompanied by each other, echoing each other.
In 1931, a 15-year-old boy named Xu Huanrong stepped into the threshold of Cuiwen Pavilion. He slept happily every day, worked diligently and earnestly, and seriously studied art. Especially at night, when the treasurer and the brothers fell asleep, he began to "hang his head on the beam and taper and stab the strand", and learned to write and carve under the oil lamp...
Xu Huanrong studied art in Cuiwenge for decades and experienced great social changes before and after the founding of New China.
In old China, where the people were living out of necessity, the aggression of foreign enemies devastated the precious cultural heritage of the great motherland. Can the art of gold and stone seal carving and calligraphy be passed on to future generations? The teenager was worried. To this end, he cut down on food and clothing, got up to sleep in the middle of the night, and completely integrated the true feelings of a yanhuang descendant for the motherland into the art of calligraphy and seal carving. More than ten years of hard work have made it a brilliant achievement in the art of calligraphy and seal engraving. However, he became ill with overwork, vomiting blood and falling ill.
Tuberculosis, how many people in the old society died because they could not be treated for this disease! Just when Xu Huanrong did not see any improvement in many ways and his condition became more and more serious, New China was born!
The party and the government were very concerned about folk artists, and immediately arranged for the best hospitals and the best doctors to treat them, and promptly cured Xu Huanrong's tuberculosis. Xu Huanrong recovered his health, perked up his spirits, and re-threw himself into the artistic creation of calligraphy and seal engraving.
After Xu Huanrong's artistic talent was known to the relevant state departments, he was entrusted with important tasks such as enlarging the inscription of the Monument to the People's Heroes and writing the inscription of the monument to the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. His meticulously conceived and skillfully carved stone sculptures of "Million Heroes Crossing the Great River" and the unique "Perfect And Perfect Field Huangshi Ant Tiger" innew are collected by the China History Museum and the Palace Museum respectively, and have become national cultural relics.
The origin of the name "Xu Baitao"
During the "Cultural Revolution" years since 1966, some valuable cultural heritage has been criticized as the "four olds", and Xu Huanrong, in order to prevent his calligraphy and seal engraving art from being abandoned, wrote 37 poems of Mao Zedong in various fonts such as grass, seal, li, kai, and Wei stele, and placed them in the window of Cuiwen Pavilion. A Japanese guest was so discerning that he insisted on buying it at a high price and preparing it for a treasure collection. But why is this calligraphy work not signed? Without the author's name, it is not a complete work! Japanese customers then approached the store and begged to make up for it.
In those days, "bourgeois ideas of fame and fortune" were the object of criticism, so Xu Huanrong's Mao Zedong poems written in various fonts were omitted.
At the repeated request of the Japanese guests, after several twists and turns, the superior leaders agreed to Replace Xu Huanrong with a pen name. Xu Huanrong is the kind of employee who is honest, obeys the leadership, and abides by organizational discipline. Since the leader said it, he took "Bai Tao" as his pen name and wrote it on the payment of his work.
This is the origin of the name "Xu Baitao". Since then, each of his works has been signed with "Bai Tao". Over time, except for those who knew him in the calligraphy and painting circles, people thought that his name was "Bai Tao", and at most remembered "Xu Baitao", but did not know his real name was "Xu Huanrong".
Throughout his life, Mr. Xu studied oracle bone, Zhong Dingwen and Qin seal Chinese script, and carefully studied the works of Yan Zhenqing, Liu Gongquan, Wang Xizhi, Zheng Banqiao, and He Shaoji. He has unique insights on how to learn the ancient seals of the Qin and Han Dynasties, how to treat the works of calligraphers in various historical periods, and how to learn from the artistic achievements of modern calligraphy and seal engraving masters Qi Baishi and others. Mr. Xu advocates the ancients of the teacher and not be bound by the old texts of the monuments, in order to seek the reasonable combination of the ancient and the innovative direction, he often said: Artists should breathe with the times, and the works should have the atmosphere of the times and the natural style.
Mr. Xu's seal engraving is a strange flower in the art forest. His seals are small and delicately carved. The beauty and beauty of Qin Xiwen, the strength and thickness of Han zhuyin, the rigidity and boldness of Han chiseling, and the majesty and simplicity of Han sealing mud are full of natural interest in his square seal carving, which is amazing. In particular, Mr. Xu's sealing mud seal gives people a natural and natural feeling, and changes the rigid layout of the past, which are the essence of Mr. Xu's painstaking efforts.
Since ancient times, many people who are good at controlling the seal are not good at making the button, and those who are good at making the button are not good at controlling the seal. Mr. Xu is both good at it, which is a must. The carved turtles, toads, snakes, horses, dragons, etc. in the seal are full of fun and breathtaking.
Maverick is the Great Seal
If you see a calligraphy and recognize at a glance who its author is without looking at the name of the chapter, then the author of this calligraphy has become unique and has formed his own unique style. Far from mentioning, let's say that contemporary calligraphy everyone Shu Tong, Qi Gong, Li Duo, Shen Peng, etc., if their calligraphy is juxtaposed in front of your eyes, then without carefully studying the trend of the pen, sensitive nerves can immediately tell you which ink treasure comes from whom. This is the case with Xu Baitao's calligraphy, especially his Great Seal calligraphy, which is unique and innovative.
In the art of calligraphy, Mr. Bai Tao has a deep knowledge of the lines, grasses, seals, li, Wei steles and other bodies, and the best ones are the seals, the li, especially the big seal, and years of study have formed its unique style.
Mr. Bai Tao's ancient innovation, the integration of a variety of seal carvings into one, the use of the method of counter-sharp pen, a reverse of the up and down thin conventional for the upper thinning tight, resulting in a straight upward, dangerous peaks and waterfalls, people look at the spirit of invigorating. Mr. Bai Tao said: This is mainly to absorb the essence of nature, absorb the artistic charm and charm of sports, acrobatics and drama, and reflect it in calligraphy.
In summary, the reason why I can understand Mr. Bai Tao's artistic life is mainly due to my interaction with Mr. BaiTao.
In the 1980s, because of the "love of calligraphy and painting", I was introduced by friends in the calligraphy and painting industry and had the honor of meeting Mr. Bai Tao. Mr. Bai Tao is approachable, gentle, soft and generous, and does not use pompos. I remember the first time I went to visit Mr. Yan's house, he chatted with me with Yan Yue, and when he knew that I was taking the self-study college entrance examination, he immediately dipped his pen in ink and wrote the two big characters of Wei Bei's body "Fenfei", which was intended to encourage me to study hard and become a talent as soon as possible. Later, I did receive the honorary certificate of "self-taught talent" in the country, which is a later story.
Later, he became familiar with Mr. Bai Tao and became a regular visitor to his family, watching Mr. Bai write calligraphy in various calligraphy styles and listening to Mr. Bai tell the story of his learning art. In constant exchanges, we become year-round friends.
Although Mr. Bai Tao has been away from us for 10 years, his calligraphy art is still alive in the world, his golden stone seal carving, his great seal book, his Wei stele calligraphy, widely collected, even the current park place, you can also see Mr. Bo's inscription. So, close-up this small article to remember.
(Original title: A Lifetime of Ink Dot Dyeing the Human World - Remembering Mr. Bai Tao)
Source: Beijing Daily Author: Ji Congzhou
Process Editor: L021