Seek essay on the aesthetics of calligraphy

From the evaluation of the ancient people about the division of "Southern School", "Northern School", "Tablet School" and "Thessalonian School" and their artistic characteristics, we can also see the ancient aesthetics of calligraphy on the understanding of the aesthetic characteristics of the beauty of the feminine and the masculine. Although this division is sometimes not very scientific, but from its overall style to grasp, can be the South, North, Thessalonian, Stele School as a different representative of these two forms of beauty. Relatively speaking, the southern school of heavy grace, the northern school is still magnificent, " northern book to bone victory, southern book to rhyme victory ", " southern book elegant, northern book and robust " ( Liu Xizai " Art Overview " ), southern book Wanli Qingmei, rich in elegance, northern book androgynous and robust, with more boldness. Heavy posters, favoring the beauty of feminine, still monumental, focusing on the beauty of masculine. This is also closely related to the southern and northern schools of calligraphy. The Southern School emphasizes post, and the Northern School emphasizes monument. "The southern school is the Jiangzuo style, sparse and elegant, suitable for qi documents: the northern school is the ancient method of the Central Plains, thick and strict, suitable for the monument list" (Qian Yong, "Calligraphy"). Post is suitable for running and cursive, to flow the beauty of the ability, the monument is suitable for regular and official scripts, to the square and strict as well, "short notes and long scrolls, the intention to swing, the post excels in its strengths; the boundaries of the square and strict, the law of the book is profound, the monument according to its victory" (Ruan Yuan, "Northern monument and southern post theory"). The Northern Tablet Calligraphy has a magnificent style of "vigorous and strong", "meteorological murmur", "penmanship jumps over", "point and painting thick", "strange and easy", "spirit of the flying", "bone method of the holes" and other beautiful styles. In a sense, the development and evolution of ancient Chinese calligraphy, beautiful and magnificent ideals, is also being emphasized in the different tendencies of post and tablet. Tang heavy monument, in order to magnificent victory, Song, Yuan, Ming heavy post, in order to beautiful victory.

Ancient Chinese calligraphy aesthetics, although the beauty of masculinity and femininity of the two forms of different emphasis, but does not favor which side. It emphasizes the combination of simplicity, dialectical unity of the two, opposed to purely rigid and purely soft, paranoid about one side, advocating " rigid and soft ", " bone and bone proportionate " and " neutral " of the cause. It believes that "pure bone has no charm and pure flesh has no power", and that only "fat and thin are in harmony, and bone and strength are in proportion" will work. In terms of "rigidity" and "softness", "straightness is rigid, curvature is softness, folding is rigid, turning is softness, light and light strokes are rigid, and the first and last are even and curly are softness," the combination of the two, "rigidity and softness are good" ("On Calligraphy by Zhao Northeastern Light of the Ming Dynasty"). From the "yin" and "yang" point of view, "沈着屈郁, yin also, Qibei haoda, yang also", "the book should have both yin and yang". In short, "yin and yang rigidity and flexibility can not be biased", "high rhyme and deep feelings, solid quality and vitality, one can not be a book" (Liu Xizai, "Introduction to the Arts"). It is believed that by sticking to one side, there will be drawbacks, thus reducing the aesthetic value: "Zhang Ruitu book to the brush method, the force of the strong key, but the single-minded horizontal support, less implicit and quiet meaning, its quality is not expensive" (Liang Peak, "evaluation of the book post"). Purely rigid and purely soft can not be, " purely rigid as a cone painting stone, purely soft as mud to wash the mud, neither round and smooth, the spirit of the dead " (Lu Ctrip "Lin Chi know-how"). Therefore, the combination of the two requirements, so that they complement each other, just in the soft, soft in the hard, to achieve " Wan and the more strong, through and the more section ", " more elegant and more calm, more robust and skillful " of the soft and strong " and " neutral " realm. This "neutral" of "fire" is more difficult to grasp, often "tend to be stable and comfortable with the implicit, then there is no spirit and bones; for the spirit and bones, then not stable and comfortable with the implicit" (Liang Peak, "Review of the book post"). Ancient calligraphers have always explored how to grasp this "neutral" degree. The ancient saying: "but the pen is soft, then the strange born" (Cai Yong), pointed out the artistic expression of the brush function. The word "soft" is the "soft" of "soft". " can be soft and rigid is called soft, not soft and no rigid is called soft "(Liu Xizai" Art Introduction "). They emphasize "to take the power of strength, to take the rhyme of emptiness and harmony" (Dong Qichang "painting Zen Room Essays"), to achieve "bone", "force", "momentum" and "rhyme", "taste", "interest" of the harmony and unity.

The ideal of "neutral" beauty of ancient calligraphy aesthetics is also prominently embodied in the calligraphy of the Jin Dynasty, especially in the worship of Wang Xizhi's calligraphy. Jin calligraphy shows calm and natural, subtle and euphemistic, strong and soft, perfect realm, become a model of "neutral" beauty. It is like the art of ancient Greece in the West, and has been a model for future generations to learn from. The development of ancient Chinese calligraphy art and aesthetics can be said to be in the development of the contradictory conflict between the Jin and rebel against the Jin, is in the Jin style of calligraphy back to forward, which is also in the "neutral" and anti-neutralization in the evolution of the antagonism. It is believed that, "Jin advocates rhyme", "Jin's books are graceful and elegant", and "Jin's books are characterized by rhyme". This "rhyme", mainly expressed in a calm and natural, subtle and euphemistic "neutral" beauty of the mood. When the ancients talked about Jin's books, almost all of them were highly esteemed, revealing a longing for an unattainable beauty. They believed that "the Jin people have a high degree of elegance, so their books are like elegant people, elegant and elegant, folding and swiveling, posture, conscious of the meaning of the dust" (Fang Xiaoru, "Xun Zhi Zhai Collection"). In the Jin calligraphy, especially on the "two kings" (and mainly the big king) worship to the extreme, that Wang Xizhi reached the highest level of perfection and beauty of the neutralization of the beauty of the highest state, is the model for the ages: "Yat-Shao can be said to be shao, as beautiful as possible, but also as good as possible" (Zhang Huaiguan "book breaks"), "as good as possible, it is only Wang Yat-Shao !" ( Li Shimin "Wang Xizhi"). ( Li Shimin "Wang Xizhi biography" ). Wang Xizhi's "thinking is thorough, his aura is peaceful, he is not aggressive, and his style is far-reaching" (Sun Shuting, "The Genealogy of the Calligraphy"). Isn't this "aura of peace, no agitation, no harshness" the highest emotional state to which the ancients aspired? They depicted Wang's characters in this way: "Like the clouds in the sky, like the lotus flower coming out of the water", "like the four seasons of yin and yang, the temperatures of cold and heat, the spaciousness of the rocky corridors, the solemnity of the hairpins", "like the breeze coming out of the sleeves, the bright moon coming into the bosom" (Li Si Zhen, "After the Calligraphy"), which is really breathtakingly beautiful. It is precisely because Wang Xizhi occupies such a high aesthetic status in people's hearts that it is further taken as an important standard for measuring the value of calligraphy art. For example, it is said that "Yu Shinan got the beauty of Righteousness but lost its handsome"; "Ouyang Xun got the power of Righteousness but lost its warmth"; "Chu Suiliang got the meaning of Righteousness but lost its changes"; "Xue Ji got the clarity of Righteousness but lost its constraints"; "Li Yong got the method of Righteousness but lost its madness"; and "Zhen Qing got the tendons of Righteousness but lost its coarseness" (Li Yu). Although these calligraphers have a certain characteristic of Wang Xizhi, but they can not reach the perfect art of Wang character.

The ideal of "neutral" beauty analyzed above is the dominant idea in the aesthetics of ancient Chinese calligraphy. Although in the development of calligraphy aesthetics, there are also some "anti-neutralization" aesthetic trends (which will be mentioned later in the historical analysis), but they are not like the "neutralization" ideal of beauty throughout the ancient society, did not become the mainstream, occupying a dominant position.

Two

From the historical development of the idea of "neutral" beauty in ancient Chinese calligraphy aesthetics, it can be divided into three stages: the first stage, from the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty. It is a stage that emphasizes the unity of emotion and reason, and pays attention to rationality, which is dominated by the beauty of "harmony" and the beauty of masculinity. Among them, the Han Dynasty is the germination period. The Wei and Jin Dynasties were the peak of development, reaching the degree of "neutralization" beauty modeled by the harmony of rigidity and flexibility. The Tang Dynasty also emphasized a rational and balanced harmony. Under the general tendency of this "neutral" beauty, it emphasized "bone", "force", "potential", and pursued a strong momentum. The Tang Dynasty is the ideal of this magnificent beauty. The Tang Dynasty was the peak of this ideal of beauty. The second stage, from the Song Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty. At this time to love the main, appeared to promote the individuality of the disharmony, disharmony, "impetuous" factor, "ugly" factor. The Song Dynasty was the first to advocate this, and the Ming Dynasty's "wild grass" school reached its climax. From the favor of "neutral" beautiful, magnificent ideal development, this stage of feminine beauty as the dominant tendency, the Yuan and Ming Dynasties prevailed. The third stage, the Qing Dynasty. This is a comprehensive, summarized stage, but also to the transition period of modern aesthetics. It is in the comprehensive interpretation of the first two stages on the basis of exploring the combination of emotion and reason, emphasizing the magnificent beauty on the basis of the dialectical unity of beauty and magnificence. It is discussed below.

The Han Dynasty, especially the end of the Han Dynasty, is the ancient Chinese calligraphy aesthetics of the germ, the beginning of the period, is the ancient calligraphy art aesthetic consciousness of the period of self-independence. The Han Dynasty carried out theoretical discussions in the practice of calligraphy, and put forward the so-called "the upper are covered by the lower, the lower to bear the upper", "left and right review", "want to the left first right, to return to the left is also" (Cai Yong "Nine Potentials") Calligraphy form of the dialectical laws of beauty. From the Han Dynasty's discussion on "momentum" and "force", and from the depiction of natural beauty as an intermediary of aesthetic association, it can be seen that they advocated a flying beauty with strength and force. Cai Yong said: "hide the head to protect the tail, the force in the word, the pen force, the skin of the beautiful. Therefore, it is said: the trend to be unstoppable, the trend to be unstoppable, ...... "(" nine potential "). He explored the "force", "momentum" of the aesthetic connection and the brush in the performance of "force", "momentum" side of the unique artistic function of painting. Only when there is "force" can there be "unstoppable" and "unstoppable" "momentum". The Han Dynasty advocated the aesthetic ideal of masculine beauty.

By the Wei and Jin Dynasties, from the general tendency of the aesthetic ideal, people emphasize the unity of sentiment and reason, and advocate a kind of rigidity and flexibility, bone and flesh, bone and flavor harmony and unity of the beauty of "neutral". Jin calligraphy presents a calm and natural, implicit and implicit beauty, reaching the peak of the "neutral" beauty. Wei and Jin pursued the aesthetic realm of "peace and harmony" and emphasized on the external form of the calligraphy of "momentum and body uniformity". Wei Heng said: "Observation of the pen and ink, attentive and dedicated, and the momentum and body uniform, hair stops without interruption" ("four styles of calligraphy"). According to Wang Xizhi, "the character of a book is nobly calm and stable" (The Essay on Calligraphy) and "all books are nobly calm and quiet" (The Essay on Calligraphy). They were against the wanton and chaotic strokes, and required that "the white space should be divided, the distance and vicinity should be even, the top and bottom should be appropriate, natural and smooth", pointing out that "it is necessary to cover each other, and not to reveal the shape and shadow and the teeth" (Wang Xizhi, "Twelve Chapters on the Theory of the Brush", "Chapter VII of the Chapter on Teaching and Understanding"). The "isolated shape and shadow" and "out of its teeth" is not in line with the aesthetic standard of "peace and harmony". The "harmony" of the Wei and Jin dynasties is the harmony of diversity and change. They demanded that "several forms be included" and "words have different meanings". But this change is "different" in "and". Wei and Jin calligraphy aesthetics both advocate change, but not beyond the overall "and", which emphasizes the beauty of the form of the factors to achieve simple harmony and unity." To make a character, horizontal and vertical; to make a line, bright and beautiful together"." Dense, sparse and broad" (Wang Xizhi, "Essay on Calligraphy")." Should not hurt the long, the long is like a dead snake hanging tree; should not hurt the short, the short is like a dead toad "(The Twelve Chapters of the Theory of Penmanship). Requirements for the harmony and unity of the moist and astringent, surplus and deficiency, appropriate ups and downs, distance and proximity, the contradictory factors in the whole to achieve a perfect combination. The Wei and Jin Dynasties pursued a bone-based, bone-rich, flesh-rich, rigid and flexible artistic beauty, emphasizing the beauty of masculinity and femininity of the simple and harmonious unity. Wei and Jin calligraphic aesthetics advocate "bone" and "force", oppose the weak and powerless style of calligraphy, take "bone" and "force" as important aesthetic standards, and think that "more forceful and abundant tendons of the holy, powerless and tendonless disease" (Wei Fuse). Wei Jin Shang's " bone ", and later the Tang Dynasty's " strict ", " rough ", " strong " " bone ", " force " different, it is more mainly a kind of dashing and handsome " bone ", " wind wind flow bone ". From the depiction of the calligraphy style at that time, " Wang Xinqi book like Wang, Xie family children, even if not upright, Yiyi Ran has a kind of wind flow of the bones " ( Xiao Yan " ancient and modern book people advantages and disadvantages of the assessment " ; " Tao Yinju book like Wu Xing children, although the shape has not grown, but the bones are very steep and fast ";" Wang Youjun book like Xie family children, even if not upright, there is a kind of cool style " ( Yuan Ang " ancient and modern calligraphy assessment " ). Here, "Yiyi Ran", "windflow air bone", "bone body is very steep and fast", "Sharp have a kind of wind", etc., explains the artistic mood of the Wei and Jin bone potential. Wei Jin's "bone" is "bone rich flesh moist" of "bone", rigid and flexible "bone", it seeks both bone power, momentum, but also to have a fluent rhyme. They emphasize the unity of "bone power" and "媚好", not only for the "pen power amazing", but also the pursuit of "wind flow interesting", "pen road flow". Wang Shengqi said: "Bone rich flesh moist, into the wonderful through the spirit" ("Pen Yi Zan"). Xiao Yan believes that: " pure bone without charm, pure flesh without power; ...... fat and thin and bone strength commensurate. " (" Answer Tao Yinju on the book ") can be seen, one-sided emphasis on " bone ", " force ", " pure bone " no meat, is not possible, must " bone " and " meat ", " Mei " and " force " combined to " bone rich and meat ", " fat and thin and the bone and force commensurate with the " realm, only in line with the " neutral " standard of beauty. It can be said that the Wei Jin "bone", is "form", but also "God", is "meaning", but also "law". Here, the external "bone method with pen" and the internal style of the bones of the chiaroscuro reached a watery combination, form and God (form and content), meaning and law (purposefulness and lawfulness) to reach a complete unity. Wei and Jin people Shang Qing Yi gas, Jun Jun bone, the pursuit of free and handsome spirit, temperament. This inner temperament and external style requirements, expressed in the creation of calligraphy, a kind of bone and flesh proportionate, strong and soft, bone force, flavor of the artistic mood will be created. Wei and Jin advocate the beauty of " neutral ", is a kind of love and reason, sensibility and rationality, personality and **** the beauty of harmony and unity. The expression of its emotions consciously controlled in the rationality, reason, the pursuit of personal sensibility and interest in harmony with the rationality, **** nature of the norms of the law. It is different from the law to win, to win the beauty of the book of the Tang Dynasty, more different from after the Song Dynasty to interest, emotion, personality to win the "impetuous" beauty.