Commenting on Wang Genquan's "On the Criteria for Judging Chinese Calligraphy" Si Nan
Calligraphy has a long history as a traditional art in China, and the inheritance of calligraphy is profound, and there is no shortage of people from generation to generation. Calligraphy creation is the elegant affair of the writing temperament of the literati and scholars, influenced by the impetuous atmosphere of society and driven by utilitarian ideas, calligraphy creation is divorced from the basic law of writing, and the impetuous atmosphere prevails. The exhibition evaluation and exchange competition of calligraphy has become a commercial activity with utilitarian purposes.
At present, there are not too many well-intentioned and equal academic discussions in calligraphy evaluation, and the utilitarian factor of "a hundred schools of thought" is fully developed. Irresponsible praise has destroyed the atmosphere of the art world, polluted the eyes of art lovers, and affected the healthy development of calligraphy art. The self-centered attack is a serious damage to the art of calligraphy. The cultural and artistic essence of calligraphy itself has been replaced by an increasingly strong commodity atmosphere, becoming a tool for "gaining fame and profit". The lack of calligraphy evaluation standards, many calligraphers are driven by the psychology of quick success and short-term profit, catering to the tastes of judges or appreciators, resulting in the phenomenon of "chaotic cajoling" in calligraphy appraisal.
Mr. Wang Genquan has been studying for many years, immersed in research, and creatively put forward the criteria for judging Chinese calligraphy. This standard takes the national common composition scoring standard as a model, and the scoring standard of calligraphy works is first divided into four aspects: "basic skills of dot painting, knot shape, layout and planning, and expression to achieve meaning", respectively, according to 0 to 30, 0 to 25, 0 to 30, 0 to 15 points to give authorized scores; each aspect is divided into three to five levels, and then stipulate the between the divisions of each level. It can be seen that the between the partitions at each level is limited to 5 points. This means that the subjective arbitrariness in judging is effectively limited, and the phenomenon of "indiscriminate evaluation, random evaluation, false evaluation, and wrong evaluation" in the previous calligraphy evaluation will be curbed to the greatest extent, and the results of the judgment will tend to be objective and fair.
The emergence of Chinese calligraphy evaluation standards is of epoch-making significance for calligraphy criticism, and is undoubtedly a big storm in the field of calligraphy criticism. It is a scientific, reasonable and objective calligraphy evaluation standard, which can replace the judge's "I think" standard, and puts the judgment on the merits of the calligraphy work itself, so that the judge's "I think" is no longer easy to use in the evaluation of calligraphy works.
Mr. Wang Genquan's calligraphy evaluation criteria are characterized by "new" and "positive". "New" refers to the new concept of viewpoint, subverting the previous "I think", and injecting new elements and vitality into the judgment of Chinese calligraphy. The laws of writing, the ancients almost perfected to perfection. Outstanding writers have the ability to use deep and skillful brushwork and imagine unique spatial modeling. But for calligraphy appreciators, how to appreciate calligraphy? What kind of calligraphy is a really good work of art? I thought that "the criteria for judging are vague, and I can only follow the "experts" in the clouds." The chinese calligraphy evaluation standards are simple and easy to understand, clear and organized, which can judge the quality of calligraphy works, measure the level of writing art of a calligrapher, so that ordinary calligraphy viewers no longer "look at flowers in the mirror, look at the moon in the water", so that calligraphy truly goes to "popularization" and becomes an art that is appreciated by both elegant and customary. "Positive" is the objective fairness of this standard in the judgment of calligraphy. China is currently in a period of reform and transformation, diversified values, blurring some basic moral judgments, traditional values are constantly dissolved by utilitarian values, ugly as beauty, fraud, opportunism, quick success, these anti-traditional moral phenomena can not be ignored. Calligraphic works of art are judged by this criterion, and those with a score of 81 to 100 are "divine products", those with a score of 61 to 80 points are "wonderful products", those with a score of 41 to 60 points are "no-no-nos", those with a score of 26 to 40 points are "entry", and those with a score of 0 to 25 points are "not started". Scoring points, convincing people with "books", the influence of human subjective factors is eliminated in calligraphy judgment, and the era of calligraphy evaluation of "benevolent people see benevolence, wise people see wisdom" is ended. Can really "go rough and refined" and "go to the fake and save the truth", objectively and fairly judge the good calligraphy art works for the appreciators and enthusiasts.
Academician Zhou Guangzhao, former president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, once stressed: "Now everyone is mentioning innovation, in general, innovation is divided into two types, one is gradual innovation, the other is subversive innovation. What China needs most now is disruptive innovation. Mr. Wang Genquan's "On the Criteria for Judging Chinese Calligraphy" is a subversive innovation in the theory of Chinese calligraphy art thought, which meets the innovative requirements of the development of the times and will eventually be accepted by the times.