Qian Shuiqing's Inheritance and Innovation

198 1 Three years after the spring breeze of reform, the China Calligraphers Association was formally established, which is an event of great significance in the history of Chinese calligraphy and also has important practical significance for promoting the popularization and improvement of Chinese calligraphy art. Calligraphy activities across the country have embarked on the road of organization, scale and procedure. It is the first time in the history of calligraphy in China that calligraphy is regarded as a career. Since then, a new term, professional calligrapher, has appeared in China calligraphy circle. Since the Book Association was founded 27 years ago, calligraphy has been continuously improved and gradually improved in organizational form. From the national grass-roots network, 10 provincial, municipal and county-level book associations have been established one after another. From the way of activities, the scale is constantly improving, and there are relatively large-scale "national exhibitions", "young and middle-aged exhibitions", "newcomers exhibitions" and various books or provincial and municipal exhibitions. Over the past 20 years, under the leadership of China Calligraphy Association, a group of "elite" figures in calligraphy have indeed been created, and a number of representative works with relatively high quality have also been created. The popularity of national calligraphy has really promoted the development of China calligraphy, a traditional cultural treasure. However, looking back on the road we have traveled for more than 20 years and making a systematic and in-depth analysis, we can easily find that under the appearance of calligraphy fever, there are some key problems that we must pay attention to, think deeply and make up our minds to solve. The most important problem is that too much emphasis on innovation and individuality leads to the incompleteness and fallacy of inheriting tradition. In the 30 years of reform and opening up, China Calligraphy Association has been established for 27 years. The calligraphy circle in China has always emphasized the innovation and individuality of calligraphy. Under this guiding ideology, inheriting the tradition only stays in reports, characters and words, while the important links such as calligraphy education, creation, training, exhibition, evaluation and membership development have long been thrown into the dustbin of history. Change is the life of all arts, and calligraphy is no exception. Changing nature is the life of calligraphy development and progress. Is losing tradition called innovation? There is a premise for real innovation. What is the premise? It is an innovation after inheritance. There is a new saying in the book world called "inheritance". Only by making great efforts can we honestly "enter the ancient times." Tian Yingzhang said, "Don't learn from me, learn from the ancients" is the embodiment of this meaning. Standing on the shield of predecessors (ancients) to open up a new world is called innovation. Otherwise, there is no other shortcut to follow in this land of calligraphy art, and "innovation" is by no means a "fantasy" that can succeed. However, in today's book world, many young people are about to surpass the "ancients" before they begin to learn books. In 2007, a total of 553 19 works were submitted to the National Exhibition, which was the highest in history. The number of authors is at least 40,000, which is unprecedented prosperity. There are 7,322 regular scripts, accounting for only 13.6%, and there are more than 40,000 authors, and there are more than 5,000 with a certain level of creation, accounting for only 20% of the manuscripts. The average level accounts for the majority, and quite a few authors are still in the temporary paste stage, similar to those who don't understand calligraphy creation at all. What does this data mean? It shows that the current social business opportunities are surging, and many people are eager to become famous. They are anxious like ants in hot bricks all day long, as if they have lost their souls. This situation naturally spread to the calligraphy world. Many people are impetuous in learning books, eager for quick success and instant benefit, eager to break a new path and publicize their own personality. Where can they sit still and study the brushwork and structure word by word to inherit the tradition? Learn to write regular script, and fewer and fewer people can write regular script. In the past 30 years, few people have been nominated by regular script in national exhibitions, and almost no one has won prizes. More and more calligraphers don't know regular script.

The four elements of China's calligraphy: brushwork, structure, brushwork and composition, are rarely studied seriously. To truly become a calligrapher, you need to gain a firm foothold in the book world through long-term understanding and practice. Because it is really not easy to master the brushwork, structure, ink method and composition of the ancients. 10,20,30 years? Some people may practice calligraphy all their lives, but they may not become real calligraphers. Innovation is never boasted by yourself, nor can it be boasted in a small circle. I suggest that leaders, calligraphers, undergraduates, master students and doctoral students at all levels in the country still need to calm down, hold their horses, make up their minds to study the tradition vigorously, calmly study the traditional calligraphy classics and innovate on the basis of the tradition. Innovation needs the support of theory, the inheritance and improvement of techniques, and the innovation of calligraphy is imminent. It will never be upgraded like high technology and computers in recent years. Many people take pains to make some strange things in calligraphy all day, thinking it is innovation. Without historical test, it is untenable in the history of calligraphy. It is by no means innovation. Moreover, the innovation of calligraphy art does not necessarily appear in every era. In the history of calligraphy, there are few recognized innovations. For thousands of years, I'm afraid there have been only two kings: Europe, Yan, Liu and Zhao. Therefore, it is extremely valuable and a contribution to the history of calligraphy to realize the innovation of personal calligraphy in the true sense, but it is not only difficult, but also extremely difficult. Recently, I carefully read and studied the Collection of Tian Yingzhang's Calligraphy published by my teacher, Mr. Tian Yingzhang, in September 2007, and carefully visited the calligraphy exhibition of Walking in the Ancient by Mr. Zhang Rongqing of China Art Museum. These two things make me think about a question repeatedly. Where is the current outlet of China's calligraphy art? Mr. Tian Yingzhang is the first calligraphy master whom I met and interacted with for thirteen years after I wrote "Letter from the Master" at the beginning of 1995. He is younger than me, but I am extremely happy that he accepts me as an apprentice. After more than ten years of calligraphy exchange and guidance, I deeply feel that he is a good teacher of China's traditional "fraternity"; Where's the good news?

One: 198 1 year later, he published a large number of hard pen and brush Copybook for calligraphy, which set an example for the latecomers of China's calligraphy. In the copybook, he can unreservedly tell us his experience and key points of the four elements of traditional calligraphy, namely, brushwork, structure, composition and ink method, and each word has his analysis and explanation. Teachers who write such copybooks are hard to find in China today.

Secondly, he is a strict teacher. He is strict with his disciples. He teaches calligraphy seriously and responsibly, and never relaxes his requirements for every stroke of his students' works. He often said that the creation of works must be based on every word and the source of pens. Every time I bring exercise questions to him for advice, he will hit the nail on the head and point out the problem, and he will never let go of the position of a certain point and the length of a certain stroke. It's been 58 years since I started learning calligraphy at the age of five, but it's 13 years since I became a teacher that really made me get started, grow and mature.

Thirdly, he cares about the calligraphy circle in China, and he dares to speak out about the problems existing in the current calligraphy circle. At the beginning of this article, I quoted a passage he said many times. Learn from the ancients, not me, but the spirit and method of practicing Chinese characters. Bad style, especially the ugly phenomenon of violating tradition and encouraging "madness", "weirdness", "wanton innovation" and "freedom", always laughs at it, reviles it and hates it, and sometimes his criticism is quite fierce. He even shouted in the news media more than once: "China's calligraphy is at the lowest point in China's history." When he speaks, he has no regard for the occasion and has no scruples. His selfless dedication to China's calligraphy deeply inspired me and the tens of thousands of students he taught. He sticks to the land of traditional calligraphy, for its innocence and elegance, for its revitalization and glory. For the current dazzling calligraphy "hype", he is even more powerful, leading an honest and clean life, staying lonely and far away from the world. He firmly believes that the spring of China's calligraphy will definitely come back. Besides, Mr. Zhang Rongqing, although I didn't worship him as a teacher, his spirit of "learning from history" inspired me again and again. He is seven years older than me. He studies architecture in the university. The architecture gave him a meticulous spirit. I studied hydraulic architecture. Besides, I have developed a serious and meticulous spirit since I started learning calligraphy at the age of five, but my family is poor and I have no money to buy pens and paper. During my three years in school from five to eight years old, I was able to write and recognize more than 2000 Chinese characters with stones as pens and clay as paper. I went from elementary school to college. It has always inspired me to "learn what you have learned" and "nothing is difficult in the world, as long as you are willing to climb." I have a lot in common with him in reading. 1984 After joining the China Calligraphy Association, I became a professional calligrapher and had more time to learn theories and techniques. Although he claimed to be "a monk halfway", his love for books has always been an example for me to learn. Watching his exhibition up close really shocked me and made me happy. Visiting his calligraphy exhibition, I was fascinated by his spirit of "entering the ancient times". He is an out-and-out traditional calligrapher who advocates "two kings". He once said: "It is closely related to the road that everyone has traveled and the rich and elegant classic works handed down from generation to generation, which has given infinite enlightenment to countless later scholars and become the source of people's pursuit of perfection. In particular, the book style of "Two Kings" is an inexhaustible treasure that learners need to ponder repeatedly. " His calligraphy pays attention to the use of pens. Judging from the history of China's calligraphy, in the era of "two kings" in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, there were five styles of calligraphy, and the shapes of seal, official seal, brush, line and grass tended to be stable. There is no new calligraphy style since then. The ancient method of writing with a pen, which was cast by the "two kings", has been improved unprecedentedly. Since then, people of insight have tried their best to pursue and preserve the ancient law, which has been handed down from generation to generation, thus ensuring the healthy continuation of China's calligraphy art, an ancient national treasure, which is very lucky. Looking closely at Mr. Zhang Rongqing's works, we can see that the beginning and the end of the pen are pure, the brushwork is relaxed and smooth, there is no artificial habit, and there is a natural interest. The font structure is exquisite and simple, and the composition is dense and interesting. Formed a quiet and elegant style. At least in his words and works, I can see that there are few quiet and natural calligraphers in today's book world. If there are really a group of calligraphers like him and Mr. Tian Yingzhang, they can settle down, make great efforts, take the right path, have no illusions, patiently sit on the bench for ten, twenty or thirty years, learn calligraphy and climb up step by step. With continuous improvement and innovation, the spring of China calligraphy art will surely come. At the beginning of this paper, it is emphasized that some people say that the calligraphy circle in China has really reached the era of "free writing", and free writing is not a bad thing. However, if we compare many "masterpieces" of today's self-proclaimed calligraphers with those handed down from generation to generation, I always feel that something is missing, and a lot of things are missing. The free writing of the ancients paid special attention to the accuracy and completeness of calligraphy statutes, which was a perfect combination of will and ingenuity, so it stood up to scrutiny. Although I have studied and posted here for more than 50 years, I still can't put it down every time I pick it up. Nowadays, many people's "freedom" has largely lost the rigor of calligraphy statutes, lacking the support of profound knowledge and calligraphy skills, and can't stand scrutiny. The more you watch it, the more boring it becomes. After watching it once, you don't want to watch it again. Because if you look closely, you will find that his calligraphy skills are immature, his mastery of statutes lacks practice, and his cultural background is weak. If this phenomenon does not attract the attention of calligraphy leaders, the harm will become more and more serious, and more and more new "calligraphers" will only be middle school students and primary school students in calligraphy learning! Today, it was a great good thing that we entered the calligraphy major of higher education. It should be said that this is also an unprecedented pioneering work. But I think the undergraduate, master and doctor who graduated from these majors all studied calligraphy, and there are also a few postdoctoral works that are not worthy of the name. Some of them are just middle school students and primary school students studying calligraphy.

Why is this happening? Why don't we think it over? What's the reason? By students, we will naturally think of teachers. If master students and doctoral supervisors who are professors of calligraphy in these universities can choose a group of calligraphers like Tian Yingzhang and Zhang Rongqing as teachers, the situation will be completely different. Because in addition to students' own quality and talent, the decisive factor in learning calligraphy lies in the guidance of teachers. "While the iron is hot, you still need to be hard." Naturally, "the master leads the door and practices in the individual." A good teacher will enable students to better enter the cultivation of calligraphy art, and gradually grow into the middle force of China book circle.

I have a college alumnus who is now a postgraduate tutor of calligraphy in a university. He can't even write regular script in the real sense. Can he teach calligraphy well? Isn't that a fantasy? Therefore, it is a good thing to set up calligraphy major, but it is not easy to really run calligraphy major well. Why don't the leaders of these colleges and universities recruit a group of calligraphers with real talent and learning to teach in colleges and universities across the country? Unqualified teachers cannot train qualified students. This statement is naturally reasonable. How I hope that our calligraphy major will become better and better, so as to cultivate more talented calligraphers and inherit the national cultural treasures for the coming spring of calligraphy in China. What is the position of China's calligraphy in the treasure house of traditional culture and art in China? What is calligraphy? It is difficult to answer these two questions, but it is not difficult. Two artists once said, one is Mr Zong Baihua in 1930s: "China calligraphy is an art that can express individuality and create artistic conception. Like other arts, it has the beauty of objects close to music, dance and architecture. China's music education declined, the architecture was monotonous, and calligraphy became the central art to express the spirit of each era. " The other is Mr. Xiong Bingming, a French scholar. When he returned to Beijing to give lectures in the 1980s, he said, "Calligraphy is the core of China's artistic core." Personally, I think China's calligraphy occupies a very important position among the treasures of traditional culture and art. The history of China's writing development is a portrayal of the development of's 5,000-year civilization history, and China's calligraphy is a special law of writing art based on China's Chinese characters. Calligraphy works created according to these laws are called calligraphy art, and China's calligraphy is a unique art that attracts worldwide attention. Also known as the quintessence of national treasure. Calligraphers should always establish and keep in mind a kind of consciousness, which is exquisite consciousness. They must not ignore the "freedom" of traditional law. They should hold their horses, endure loneliness, develop and improve honestly in the process of inheritance, and add a brick to the early arrival of China's calligraphy. I firmly believe that China's calligraphy art, which has lasted for thousands of years in the history of China, has great vitality. As long as we keep our feet on the ground, although the road is long and may require the efforts of several generations and dozens of generations, it is still a broad road and an artistic road. China's calligraphy will definitely come out of the "lowest period" and the spring of calligraphy will definitely come back. -Qian Shuiqing, China Yanhuang Calligraphy Art Research Association.