Why is Calligraphy at the Core of Chinese Art? Requires more than 500 words of essay

Calligraphy has always enjoyed a high cultural status in China's ancient times, but compared with other art categories, contemporary theorists have not yet paid enough attention to it.

Calligraphy is the first art to be compared with other arts and given a very high position. The real calligraphy compared with other arts and give a very high position

The modern Liang Qichao should be the first. In 1926, he gave a lecture for the Tsinghua School Staff Calligraphy Research Association

: "The beauty of the line of writing, the beauty of light, the expression of individuality, in the fine arts is of great value. Perhaps because I like writing

and have such a preference, writing is the highest among all kinds of art. The advantages that the others do not have, writing has; what the others cannot show, writing can show." Obviously, Liang Qichao thought that "writing" (i.e., calligraphy) has a higher status

than other kinds of fine arts (such as painting, sculpture, architecture, etc.). This point of view, and later received Zong Baihua, Lin Wu Tang

, Jiang Yi, Deng Yixing, Shen Yinmo and other positive response. According to Zong Baihua, Zhongtong music declined, while calligraphy replaced it

as a national art expressing the highest mood and sentiment

. Lin Yutang said that one cannot talk about Chinese art without understanding Chinese calligraphy and its artistic inspirations; for example, there is no sense of harmony and beauty of form in any of China's

architecture, be it pagodas, pavilions or temples. It is not derived

from some style of Chinese calligraphy. Jiang Yi points out that in addition to calligraphy, which is in itself one of the highest

forms of the various Chinese arts, we can conclude that it also constitutes, in a sense, the most basic element

of the other Chinese arts. Deng Yixing, on the other hand, emphasizes even more firmly that our calligraphy is not only a kind of fine art, but also a pure fine art, the

highest state of art. Shen Yinmo believes that the world recognized Chinese calligraphy is the highest art, is because it can show amazing miracles, no

color but with the splendor of painting, no sound but the harmony of music. Introduced to appreciate, the heart is smooth and happy.

These assertions of the positioning of calligraphy may be offensive to those who do not love calligraphy, but the expression itself

is not a problem at all, and thus deserves to be recognized and quoted by future generations.

Entering the 1980s, there was another scholar who crossed over from the artistic to the cultural level, and set a higher

position for calligraphy, that is, the French-Chinese scholar and artist Xiong Bingming, who said in his speech at a seminar held at the Institute of Fine Arts of the China Academy of Art in 1984: "I think calligraphy represents the most central part of Chinese culture. I think calligraphy represents the most central part of Chinese culture. It can be said to be the core of the core."

Then in the 1990s, he wrote several articles reiterating that in the history of Chinese culture, although religion has also played a major role, but the core of culture

is philosophy"; "Chinese calligraphy is the core of the core of Chinese culture". It can be seen, he is "Chinese calligraphy is the core of the core of

Chinese culture," the reference, not casually and, but love, and with the passage of time the more

The more firmly believe in it.

However, as a result of my thinking, I think that Mr. Xiong's so-called "Chinese calligraphy is the core of the core of Chinese culture"

is not a valid argument, even though I have been gullible in the past.

First of all, Mr. Xiong's own specific arguments can only be deduced from the "calligraphy is the core of Chinese culture", (in other words,

said that "calligraphy represents the most central part of Chinese culture" can also be) the conclusion. As he said in Xiong Bingming's Collected Writings, "Through the study of calligraphy, many questions about Chinese culture can be answered"; "Calligraphy is a direct expression of the mind, both

individual and collective; both conscious and subconscious. It is natural to study the spirit of Chinese culture through calligraphy". In any case, to say that "calligraphy is the core of Chinese culture" is undoubtedly questionable.

Secondly, Mr. Xiong's reference is a play on words. Since he accepts the premise that "philosophy is the core of culture", his so-called "calligraphy is the core of the core of Chinese culture" is actually the same as saying that "calligraphy

is the core of Chinese philosophy". the core of Chinese philosophy". But why did Mr. Xiong only take the former and not the latter? I thought, once Mr. Xiong

took the latter form of expression, then the fallacy of a glance, because common sense and early told people that philosophy and calligraphy are two

different forms of cultural existence, the two can have an impact on each other, but no one can not get into the core of who. In order to

cover up their own positioning on the calligraphy of the fallacy of the reference, Xiong Xian car had to quietly whistle "play" a word game, and replaced with

the former form of expression. "The core of the core of culture" and "the core of philosophy" meaning the same, but readers accept

reaction is not quite the same. Generally speaking, when seeing the former, people will only associate "calligraphy" with "culture";

while seeing the latter, people will associate "calligraphy" with "philosophy". The latter, on the other hand, is associated with "philosophy". See the former, people do not immediately produce doubt

question - calligraphy is originally a cultural existence!

Seeing the latter, people are sure to be greatly interrogated: as a visual form of "calligraphy" and how to become the conceptual form of

"philosophy" of the core? Therefore, it seems that Mr. Xiong had his own reasons for speaking only of "the core of culture" and avoiding "the core of philosophy".

Thirdly, Mr. Xiong's so-called "the core of the core of culture" misinterpreted the meaning of "culture", "philosophy"

and "calligraphy". The relationship between "culture", "philosophy" and "calligraphy". According to Mr. Xiong's formulation, the relationship between "culture", "philosophy" and "calligraphy"

is clearly manifested as an outwardly inclusive relationship. But a little bit of investigation, we can see that such a relationship

definition is not realistic.　　Because everyone knows, philosophy and calligraphy are two different existences, can not constitute the inclusion

and be included in the relationship. This is just like the famous British Aristotle researcher Butcher, in response to Yash's "writing poetry is a more philosophical activity

than writing history": "Although these two ranges (poetry and philosophy) touch

at one point, he (Yash) does not mix them up. ) is not confusing them. Philosophy searches for the 'universal' from the 'particular'; its aim is to discover the truth and to attain it, and having discovered and attained it, its business is finished. The purpose of the poem is to represent the 'universal' by means of the 'particular'

, to concretize the universal truth and to give it life. The 'universal' of the poem is not an abstract

idea, it is loaded with a particular attitude to speak to our senses, masked with a concrete form to speak to our heart, its outer

exterior is only a living organism, its parts are in a functionally organized relation to become a whole. " Butcher's quote is about the different ways in which philosophy and poetry exist, but it is also entirely appropriate to replace "poetry" with "calligraphy".　　Not only that, but even Mr. Xiong himself, in his essay "Calligraphy and Chinese Culture," says that philosophy and calligraphy are different beings -- "

If philosophy is the 'high place that does not know the cold,' then calligraphy is the 'high place that does not know the cold,' and calligraphy is the 'high place that does not know the cold,' and calligraphy is the 'high place that does not know the cold,' and calligraphy is the 'high place that does not know the cold. If philosophy is the peak, calligraphy is the garden where you can rest and linger."

But Mr. Xiong has come to his own conclusion accordingly -- "So it can be said that (calligraphy) is the core of the core of culture."

It's a wonder that people can't

understand it!

In fact, philosophy and calligraphy are both concrete expressions of culture, only that they are expressed in different ways - the former is

the conceptual expression of culture (or rational expression), while the latter is the visual expression of culture (or sensual expression). In terms of status

, both conceptual and visual expressions are on the same level. As we know, Chinese culture has always balanced the unity of "metaphysics

" (Tao) and "metaphysics" (technique) without going to the extremes, and often sees the infinite in the finite, as Mr. Zong Baohua

said: As Mr. Zong Baihua

said: "Chinese people are not 'pursuing' the 'infinity' like Fotoderm, but discovering

the infinity and manifesting the infinity in a hill-gully, a flower and a bird, so his attitude is leisurely and faraway, but also infinite. He is transcendental, but he is also self-contained. He is transcendental, but not

out-of-this-world."

It is precisely for this reason that Chinese philosophy "emphasizes the use and practice of life" (in the words of Xiong Bingming), and "seeks the highest state

that is transcendental and worldly" (in the words of Feng Youlan), unlike Western philosophy, which is based on the pursuit of knowledge and the construction of large-scale theories

. The Chinese Calligraphy is not like Western philosophy, which takes pleasure in seeking knowledge and aims at constructing a huge theoretical

system. It is precisely for this reason that Chinese calligraphy attaches great importance to technique and practicality, while at the same time seeking the ineffable and subtle "Tao". This clearly shows that the heterogeneous and isomorphic relationship between Chinese philosophy and Chinese calligraphy, which balances the unity of "metaphysics" and "

metaphysics", is ultimately determined by the basic spirit of Chinese culture. In academic research

, we can say that calligraphy embodies the spirit of philosophy to some extent (in fact, the spirit of Chinese culture), and we can also say that philosophy

has somehow refined the spirit of Chinese calligraphy, but we must not assume that the two are the core of each other. To know

, philosophy and calligraphy who can not become the core of who, they are the same way, from two different sides on behalf of the core of Chinese culture

. Therefore, the author believes that Chinese philosophy is the core of Chinese culture, Chinese calligraphy is also the core of Chinese culture

heart!

Of course, today there are many people at home and abroad who share the same or similar views with the author, such as Qiu Zhenzhong, who said

: "For an art such as calligraphy, which is so y in tune with the Chinese language, it can be said that grasping it is grasping the core of the Chinese culture

. This is also very difficult work for Chinese scholars today, not to mention people in another culture

." Then again, Wang Yuechuan also revealed, "Not long ago, when I was lecturing abroad, I ran a calligraphy class attended by both Japanese

people and Westerners, and one of the questions discussed was: why do they like Chinese calligraphy? The result of their

discussion was: because calligraphy best reflects China's national spirit and cultural characteristics, and is an excellent art discipline formed after thousands of years of accumulation and elimination

and therefore love it and learn it."

The truth is always clearer the more it is analyzed. After the above analysis, I believe that we have a clearer understanding of "calligraphy is the core of the core of Chinese culture"

The reference. Finally, it is necessary to add that Mr. Xiong repeatedly reiterated the so-called "calligraphy is the core of the core of Chinese culture", although the specific reference is biased, but this special feelings for Chinese calligraphy is moving, admirable. Just seek truth and pragmatic academic beliefs, inspired the author bravely benefits say good, not enough to say no

sufficient. As for the "positioning of calligraphy" is appropriate, it is necessary to Mr. Xiong, as well as the majority of readers to ask for advice.