Mr. Shen Peng, former chairman of the China Book Association, born in 1931, is now nearly 90 years old. He has many titles, poet, painter, scholar, editor, art critic, etc., but the most high-profile identity is obviously "calligrapher".
At present, too many people respect him as a "book master", and even praise him as a "grass saint". Indeed, from the perspective of seniority alone, he is not only the founding elder of the China Book Association, but he is actually a leading figure in the Chinese book world today. Especially since the end of the 1980s, with the strong support of Qi Gong and Zhao Puchu's predecessors, he has ascended to the hall and entered the room, ascended to the altar to worship the general, and is like the spokesperson of the Zhongshu Association.
In the past 20 years, he has been the vice chairman, acting chairman, chairman and honorary chairman, and has been sailing all the way. It was not until after the age of 80 that he gradually retired due to physical reasons and called himself "The Sleeping Room".
He is the longest-serving of any previous book association leader. In his later years, he was revered as the "honorary chairman", and even more like the "Emperor Taishang", his status was unshakable, and there were few people who could be compared with him in the world.
Shen Peng was born in 1931 in Jiangyin, Jiangsu Province
Some people say that he, Hui Ying first reached, the leader advanced later, with art and character, for nearly 30 years of hai neizong, should not be considered exaggerated. When Qi Gong was alive, he was said to be an "honest man", and in recent decades, although many people in the calligraphy circle are not satisfied with his character, they have almost never criticized his character. In the discussion of his peers, he has always been very humble, and he seems to have never faded the true color of a poor student-
Reading his article, he still lives in a "simple residential building", "narrow and messy", claiming that "my family has sunk into the 'bottom of the well'", but he does not think anything of it, and is quite proud, declaring that "if it were not for this noisy environment, I might not be able to write such poems as 'cars in deep alleys and golden flutes, pet high-rise buildings to take elevators'. Being on top, still able to clean up and be good, and sometimes making uneven noises, such as struggling to go to the administrativeization of the book association, etc., is really valuable!
SHEN Peng. Cursive Heart Sutra. 3.45 million auction price
However, on the other hand, in recent years in civil society, controversy about him has also been very popular. A huge opposition among the masses believes that he not only has a poor standard of vegetarian food, but also practices writing "ugly books", which is twisted and has a bad impact. By extension, the accusations have also escalated, and it is determined that during his tenure at the Book Association, he spared no effort to advocate and connive at "ugly books", so that "roaring books", "chaotic books", and "shooting books" are now rampant and dominate the market, corrupting the atmosphere of a generation, "ugly book teachers", and the culprit.
As a result, the same Shen Peng's evaluation is so divided: the elite circle is regarded as a taidou, such as the Poly Autumn Auction in June 2018, he can sell a picture of 5.405 million yuan, which proves that the mainstream's recognition of him seems to exceed qigong, Fan Zeng and other peers; and the public is extremely dissatisfied with him, especially the "Ertian" believers, who lead the way, listen to the wind, and often attack him as an "ugly book leader". Just last year's Teacher's Day, the year of Mi Shou' birthday, he held the "Shen Peng Poetry Manuscript" Personal Calligraphy Exhibition" in Beijing, and almost every word on the Internet was also tarted.
Tsumon shujia Tian Yunzhang
What is the "evil road", what is the word like written by primary school students" La, what "at a glance you know that there is no foundation", the overwhelming clamor of people, full of insults.
But in my opinion, not only is the word "ugly book" itself a false hat, but the "siege" of Shen Peng is even more the wrong object: I don't know if I have a poor vision, or I have ulterior motives, which is to smash the most powerful one today.
To be fair, Shen Peng's housekeeper kung fu, if it is vertically compared with the famous masters in history, it is difficult to catch up later, even if compared with qi gong, Lin Sanzhi, sha menghai, the predecessors who came out of the Republic of China, the difference is obvious. However, in my opinion, among the people at the helm of the China Book Association, Shen Peng is the most convincing in terms of knowledge, skill, character, and morality. If Shen Pengdu is worthless, it can only be said that the current book world collective is too bad.
Su Shishu, the current helmsman of the Book Association
It can be said that in the entire mainland book world today, he is a highly respected elder. The grade of his calligraphy really has to pull a measurement line, I think it is inferior to Sha Menghai, Lin Sanzhi, and Qi Gong, while Ouyang Zhongshi, Fan Zeng, and Zhang Haijian are probably not the same. Although, according to a big man in the circle of calligraphy and painting, Shen Peng once said to him in person, "At my level, I am actually regarded as everyone," which shows that there is no one at present." He did not lose his self-knowledge, and he also told the truth: he was in a state of inferiority, and after him, the presiding officer really got worse.
In recent years, Shen Peng has been attacked by the people, and in addition to being led by some people, it is also obviously related to one of his calligraphic ideas that has been distorted or not understood. He believes that a true calligrapher not only needs to have no day or forget the ancients and ancient texts, but also need to have the courage to create and change, and finally get out of the personal style of writing, avoid being a "book slave", and truly "establish a family on their own".
Zeng Xiang, the "Roar Book", was a descendant of the scholar who was cared for by Shen Peng
To this end, he once summed up his own calligraphy purpose as the 16-character policy of "promoting originality, respecting individuality, inside and outside the book, and advancing the art path". Obviously, he encouraged contemporary calligraphers, and after having a certain degree of attainment, they should not forget to "create and change", nor should they forget to "enter the slaves and leave the master", but he never encouraged others to come chaotically, instigated others to degenerate calligraphy into "jianghu", or engaged in "performance art", and even more disgusted with gangs and factions. What's wrong with it, and how to advocate "ugly books"?
What is an "ugly book", if you really want to classify, those rootless jianghu calligraphy is ugly book, and the bells and whistles of street juggling are ugly books, not all personalized pursuits and all creative practices are classified in this category. Nowadays, the masses criticize "ugly books", but in fact have gone to another extreme: not only do they reduce all creative attempts that deviate from the ancient meaning and tradition to ugly books, but even all books other than "main books" are excluded as "ugly books". For these people, if the signature of the work is erased, I am afraid that the second king Liuyan Misu will also be sprayed by the primary school students.
It was under the clamor of this irrational emotion that Shen Peng had been unwarranted for many years and had been unwarranted with the big hat of "Ugly Book Sect Leader".
In fact, Shen Peng not only has nothing to do with "ugly books", but he can really be called the most prestigious cursive calligrapher after Lin San, especially in his later years.
Lin Sanzhi, 1898-1989, was born in Nanjing
Shen Peng's most proficient and most stylish, naturally his cursive writing, which is well-known in the sea and is difficult to find a word. His cursive writing is not "ugly" at all, nor is it "chaotic" at all, and when it comes to taking the fa, when it comes from the majestic Han stele and the ancient seal, and the true spirit of Wang Xizhi's "Xingyong Ti" and "Han Che Ti" posts, and the Xiao Scattering of Yang Ning's "Leek Flower Post" style, he must have studied it in depth, so there is a pattern of benefiting many teachers and not the master's family, and the gesture is open and detached, and it is quite quite a rice charm and style. His cursive origin, I think "inscription compatible, seal into the grass" eight characters can be generalized, and both the technique and style, in fact, are very traditional. He will review his success or failure and has a unique vision, but he can be criticized as an "ugly book" and is a real layman, and Zeng Xiang said that "the masses who do not understand should not spray indiscriminately", which is reasonable.
Lin Sanzhi's calligraphy
His works are actually typical of "literati calligraphy" and are late-ripe. He was never a calligrapher of the pure writing class, Chinese, and when he was young, he was engaged in art for a long time, calligraphy criticism, old style poetry, etc., all of which he worked hard all his life, and his knowledge was a first-class and mixed knowledge in the entire book world, and he was a poetic cultural person. His temperament of this "reader" also makes his calligraphy have a very obvious literati temperament: the skill is a little worse, but the charm is very sufficient; wild but elegant, innovation is not grotesque; especially after people reach their old age, with the improvement of cultivation, the improvement of reading, and the expansion of the heart, his cursive writing makes up for the shortcomings of the early years, the depth of the work is far, the book is thick, the wind god is scattered, whether it is technique or temperament, it is enough to call the contemporary.
Shen Peng communicates with Ms. Lin Xiu, also known as Fan Zeng's ex-wife
In half his life, he also called himself a "poet" and rarely called himself a "bookmaker". In 2016, the essayist Bian Yufang visited famous booksellers with the intention of writing a long report and recommending it to the public, but was only rejected by Shen Peng. According to him, Shen Peng called back and said, "Mr. Ouyang Zhongshi and other gentlemen have experienced twists and turns, and they can make a big fuss, but I have been an editor all my life, bland, and I really have nothing to write", and I still think that I am not qualified to be called a "bookmaker"; in 2011, at the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the founding of the China Book Association, Shen Peng, as the only surviving former chairman, was unwilling to attend, and also sent a letter of self-reproach, saying that he was a scholar after all, lacking the responsibility he should have when he was in office, and many of the people who should have said what to do were incompetent and full of guilt. He was really a poet in essence.
Shen Peng calligraphy
It is precisely this kind of literati consciousness that also makes his thinking much more grandiose than that of his contemporaries, his concepts more pedantic, his courage to try in art, his courage to deny himself, and his willingness to promote his deviant descendants. But it is precisely because of this very elitist way of thinking that it brings him the greatest negative effect: living in the height of the temple, only playing a niche, striving for change, entertaining himself, it is difficult for the general public to appreciate, to be like Shen Yinmo's "elegant and common appreciation", he really can't do it, and he doesn't care.
The so-called "Yangchun white snow and the lower Riba people can not be the same", which also led to his reputation is very divided: the elite circle has great respect for him, but the folk masses are bitterly denigrated as enemies.
However, we also need to soberly realize that speaking fairly for Shen Peng is not the same as saying it, but we must not be objective, unconditionally blow the fa snail, and let the rainbow fart.
I have always thought that Shen Peng's achievements in calligraphy can only be said to be "contemporary people" horizontally at best, and if it is vertically compared with the predecessors in history, it is difficult to call it a "taidou", and may even the status of "small famous artists" be in jeopardy. Of course, the reasons and reasons for this are various, but there are still a few points that are still very obvious.
First, his foundation is indeed not very clever, and he did not start from the script in his early years, which can be said to be "wild road". Even in the late years of the book, you can still see the hint, that is, the repetition of the rules without the lack of brushwork. The layout is very rich, the font lines are often exaggerated combinations, light and heavy, square, line spacing have a degree of law, the space is staggered, it is to achieve a degree of density, showing excellent visual effects, but as soon as the letter is written, it is timid, and the grand atmosphere of the master-level writers is even more unobtrusive. Especially in the early works, it is difficult to be famous, as if they know the cursive structure, and their skills are very weak, and they are even inferior to his student Wang Houxiang in this regard.
Second, the general taidou, the style of all books and all kinds of abilities, he can only be in vain. His cursive writing, at present, is indeed unmatched by few calligraphers, and it can also be self-contained, but it is relatively short compared with the earlier Lin Sanzhi and other predecessors, and the height is still obvious. What is particularly short of breath is that he really only specializes in cursive writing, calligraphy and other standards. Its kai, the advantage is in the use of the pen calm, there is a quiet atmosphere, but the degree of law is not rigorous enough, the use of the pen is also too much false tip, slightly weak, it seems to be a push is inverted.
Shen Peng's works from his youth
Third, although his calligraphy, although "Yu believes in the old and becomes more successful", it is far from reaching the master realm of the Tao, and when I look at its end, I think the most core crux is that his experience and his education cannot match his predecessors. The way of calligraphy, compared to the end, is actually the cultivation of learning, that is, the realm of thought. In terms of knowledge, at present he is proud of his peers, but if placed in pre-modern China, he is still vulnerable. Nowadays, people praise him as "three masterpieces of poetry, calligraphy and painting", which is really exaggerated. For example, his poetry collection "Three Notes and Rhymes", after reading it, only feels that it is better than the "old cadre body"; his paintings, taken to observe, can not see how clever; the articles he wrote, the theoretical foundation is deep enough, can be discussed as a whole, giving enough face, nothing more than "literature and history sufficient use".
Shen Peng's poetry collection
His knowledge reserves, not to mention that they are better than those of the ancients, compared with the historical profane and historical profane of his predecessors Deng Sanmu, Sha Menghai, and Qi Gong, they are really killing themselves and deficient in their deliberations. "Those who are small in their instruments, those who are easy to see and easy to exhaust, there is nothing in them", idealistically, I do not believe that he has such a kung fu, and can be discussed with the titans of the art world throughout the ages. All this shows that whether his talent, skill, or situation are far away, he is still far away from the word "Taidou" and can only dominate in the contemporary era, which is helpless no matter how diligent he is. Thinking of Qing Ren Wang Shishen, in his later years, his eyes were completely blind, and he could no longer work hard, but the magic of pen and ink was no less than that of the day of the eyesight, and the high realm of calligraphy was sometimes really not reachable by pure manpower.
It is said that a few years ago, Fan Zeng's "master" chatted with people, commented on contemporary figures, and talked about Shen Peng, which meant that he wanted to strengthen his reading and singing.
Shen Peng's failure to be perfect is not the sadness of the old man alone, but the dilemma that almost all artists face.
Moreover, having said that, the so-called "taidou" and "master" and other evaluations are very boring things in themselves. Even if the historical "list of gods" is sorted, the water of time will automatically sweep away the sand and the survival of the fittest, and we are here to argue about female and yellow, which is not appropriate. This is actually a lightness to the calligrapher, but also a disrespect for art. True scholars, all these assertions, when regarded as boring spit, do not care at all where it will splash.
Here, the most important point that I need to defend Shen Peng is that his book is definitely not an "ugly book", although the drawbacks are also obvious, but in the current situation, it can definitely be called everyone. Even said, in my opinion, the most precious thing that Mr. Shen left to today's book world may not be his own book, but his creative concept and the inspirational power of excellence, continuous breakthrough, and death.
If you don't notice it, most of your friends will probably think that calligraphy is the most retro art. But this is not the case. In recent years, Shen Peng, with his status, prestige and influence, has loudly shouted and called on the four sides, which has more or less made this awareness of creating and changing on the basis of inheriting the ancients, the idea of breaking through the traditional and highlighting the characteristics of personal style, and the practice of art and innovation more popular, and then evolved into a team of courageous experiments.
In the words of Li Keyan, "What is calligraphy is to attack with the greatest strength and then use the greatest strength to fight out." In the history of calligraphy, there are also too many calligraphers who are not willing to be slaves, trying to break through the popular aesthetics of that time, and they are deeply misunderstood. For example, Yan Zhenqing and The Song Sijia were also initially scolded as corrupting the evil path of Wang Xi's orthodox calligraphy; for example, Zheng Banqiao, Xu Wei, and Jin Nong were also not accepted at that time, and the "eight monsters" Yunyun were actually ironic, but it was their books that could be transferred to the present and had a lofty status.
Shen Peng's exploration has aroused a lot of criticism among the people, but this road is going to be followed after all. How far we can go, what kind of appearance it looks like, and how to correct deviations, we can only wait and see how it changes. There is really no need to make a fuss, Chinese calligraphy has a history of two thousand years, and this is how it slowly came out.