Artistic Characteristics of the Brush

As ? The first of the four treasures? As the first of the four treasures of the literary house, the brush, together with ink, paper and inkstone, shoulders the inheritance of China's traditional writing and painting. Today, although the brush is no longer created at the beginning of the irreplaceable, but it is still in the writing and painting, and even in the field of cultivation of the body occupies an important position. Like other tools, the brush is created out of necessity, developed out of practicality, and endowed with emotional spirituality. Unlike other tools, brushes have a unique charm because of their cultural heritage.

First, the source of the pen

Tracing the origin of the brush, widely rumored to be? The story of Mengtian making the brush is widely rumored. The story. The historical record has recorded: "The first emperor of Qin Shi Huang ordered Prince Fusu to make a pen. The first Emperor of Qin ordered Prince Fusu and Mengtian to build the Great Wall to defend against the Huns in the north, and Mengtian took the rabbit's fur from the mountains to make pens. In 1954, archaeologists unearthed a set of writing instruments in a Warring States tomb in Zuojiagongshan, Changsha, Hunan Province, which included a brush made of fine rabbit hair. This pen is China's oldest surviving brush, which was born earlier than the time of the legendary invention of the brush Mengtian. Xu Shen of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote in Shuowen Jiezi (Explaining Characters in Chinese): ? Chu is called Iu, Wu is called BuLu, Yan is called Whisk? The Chinese character "聿"("聿"), which is the name of a pen in Qin, is from "拂"(拂). Qin called the pen, from Iu from bamboo? It can be inferred from this, as early as before Mengtian, the brush has existed, only to the Qin Dynasty, the brush name can be unified.

Second, the shape of the pen

Pen of the authentic, when the bamboo tube for the rod, animal hair for the hair, and equipped with a cap to protect the pen hair. But the merits of the pen, depends on the pen (or pen hair, pen hair). To different materials, the pen hair can be divided into hard hair, soft hair, both hair three, because of the performance of different, so different uses.

The main materials used in the hard hair pen are purple hair (old rabbit neck hair) and wolf hair (weasel tail hair) two kinds of brown, are tough and robust, strong elasticity and ink storage capacity is weak, the writing line is strong and sharp, and more used to make small regular pen. Because of the ancient Chinese painting and calligraphy of the same origin, ink painting in the trees of the standing trunk, branches, hook leaves, point leaves, rock outline, chapped, point pew, buildings, people, boats, bridges, water waves, waterfalls, and other fine lines, all need to rely on the elasticity of the strong hard hair in order to be able to show.

Soft hair pen, mainly sheep hair (goat hair, mostly white) made of soft, poor elasticity and strong ink storage. Mostly used in the production of large-capital brush, landscape painting rendering is also used, and can often close the pen sound ink full, ink and water effect.

The part-hair brush is made of two or more kinds of animal hair with different elasticity in a certain proportion. Between the soft hair and hard hair, soft and hard moderate, rigid and flexible. For example, with 30% of rabbit hair and 70% of sheep hair formulated from? Three purple and seven sheep hair? The color of the hairs is the same as the color of the hairs of the rabbit. Nine purple and one sheep? and Three Sheep Hair, Seven Purple Sheep Hair, Three Sheep Hair, Three Sheep Hair What's your name? Five purple and five sheep. What's your name? Two Purple Eight Sheep? etc., or hard, or soft, each due to its material, each into its pen, and writers have their own good, each appropriate.

Third, the pen and so

Looking back at history, the mainstream of the pen, roughly experienced two important times, first for the Xuan Pen era, followed by the era of the lake pen. Xuan pen brewed in the two Han Dynasty, rose in the Wei and Jin dynasties. At that time, calligraphy flourished, and the pen industry complemented each other. In the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Sage of Calligraphy, Wang Xizhi, wrote "The Pen Classic", which highly praised the Zhongshan Rabbit Hair Brush. Zhongshan rabbit hair? That is, Xuanzhou Chen's pen, so Xuan pen to become its name, promoting the rapid improvement of the pen technology. Tang and Song dynasties, Xuanzhou became the center of the national pen, in the pen hair of the selection of materials, production techniques and pen carving technology, etc., have been perfected.

Since the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, the pen industry into the lake pen era. Lake pen breeds in Zhejiang Province, Huzhou City, Shanlian town. In ancient times, Shanlian was subordinate to Huzhou Prefecture, hence its name, and Shanlian was known as the "Pen Capital". The town was known as the "Pen Capital". In the Huzhou Prefecture Records, it is written: "Brushes are made in Huzhou, and the work is carried out through the sea. The pens produced in Huzhou are widely used at home and abroad, and all the pen makers are Lakers. The name of the place is Shanlian Village, and there is a mountain in the village, the top of which is Fudu, and it is as good as a pen. According to the legend, Meng Tien once took sheep's hair from Shanlian Village to make pens, and was honored as the ancestor of the pen. He was honored as the ancestor of the pen. It is also said that Meng Ten's wife, Bu Xianglian, who was born in the West Fort of Shanlian, was a skilled pen maker and was honored as the "Pen Lady". She was honored as the Queen of Brush. Mr. and Mrs. Meng Ten granted the villagers the skill of making pens to make a living. In order to commemorate their kindness, the pen workers built the Meng Gong Ancestral Hall in the west of the village, and the brook that runs around the village was renamed Meng Xi. In the Ming Dynasty, there were Feng Yingke, Zhang Jinzhong, Wu Sheng, Yao Kai, Lu Zhen, Yang Ding, Shen Xiurong, Pan Yixin, Lu Wenbao, Zhang Tianxi, etc., who made goat-hair pens with goat's hair, which became popular in the world. Lake pen? The name of the lake pen greatly shocked, and completely replace the Xuan Pen, Huzhou has become the center of pen production.

Fourth, the beauty of the pen

In addition to practical brush, the pursuit of beauty is also indispensable, which can not be ignored is the aesthetic value of the pen. With the development of social and economic culture, the production of brushes and varieties also continue to improve, increase, improve the process, but also let the brushes more and more perfect, exquisite, especially with jade, tortoiseshell, ivory, enamel, etc. After the production of brushes, brushes have become a more appreciation of the treasures of the works of art. Undeniably, it has the factor of boasting the status of wealth, but more is the beauty of the decoration, the Qing Dynasty Qianlong 43 years (1778 AD) Tang Bingjun in the "Wenfang wu kao tu say" Volume III "pen said" in this sentence:? Han system pen, carved with gold, decorated with and wall, decorated with sui beads, text to jade. Pipe is not rhinoceros, will be ivory, extremely gorgeous carry.

Nowadays, the pen has engraved word habit. Once the pen is engraved, and filled with cinnabar, stone green and lead powder, in order to make clear, the brush adds elegance and scrolls. Undoubtedly, from the aesthetic point of view, the engraved characters on the brush have the role of icing on the cake.

Fifth, the meaning of the pen

Pen and the literati follow each other night and day, not away from the left and right, and over time, it will be given to a number of elegant name, many of which are still widely used. The poem "The Book of Songs? The first is the "Pure Lady", which is a poem about a woman who has been in the world for a long time. Jing female its molester, I was given the pipe? The name "Jingnu" was used in the poem "Jingnu". Tong Guan? The name of the pen. Cao Zhi "Allium tuberculosis line" said? gallop my path inch Han, flowing algae hanging Huafen? The pen also got the name? inch Han? The name of the pen. Zuo Si "history" has? Weak crown to get soft Han, eminent view group book? Since then, the pen can be called? Soft Han? In addition, the pen of aliases are numerous, read both make people interested, the most noteworthy, is the great Tang dynasty Han Yu to the "Historical Records" method of writing specifically for the pen of the biography of the biography of "Mao Ying biography". This biography has a novel idea and uses the pen to describe a person. It is mentioned that Meng Ten attacked Zhongshan and captured Mao Ying, who was favored by Emperor Qin Shi Huang, who made him the title of "Guan Cheng Zi" (管城子). He was honored with the title of Guancheng Zi (管城子). He was then honored with the title of "Guan Cheng Zi" (管城子). Afterwards, he was appointed as the commander of the central library. Mao Ying? He was later named "Guancheng Zi" by Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Guancheng Zi? and the Prince of Guancheng. Guancheng Hou? etc., all into the pen of the elegant name.

Pen is also a synonym for literary talent. According to the Five Dynasties? According to Wang Renyu "Kaiyuan Tianbao remains? Dream pen head flowers", Li Taibai when he was young, dreaming of using the pen, head flowers, after the genius support Yi, known throughout the world. Later generations will be to? Dream pen flowers? Metaphorical talent, rich in literature. In the eyes of the sages, it seems that talent is not out of themselves, but in the pen, see its position in the hearts of the literati.

The tip of the pen is soft and boneless, but the ancestor of the five fingers of the force, quiet concentration, write the word square and straight, ten thousand pounds hard to shake. Especially the Yan Regular Script, broad and robust, magnificent, strong, thick, heavy and awe-inspiring. Every time I look at it, it gives a person the shock of the soul.