167 Techniques of Qiu Zhenzhong Calligraphy

Qiu Zhenzhong's 167 Techniques of Calligraphy: Each of the exercises in the book is briefly explained, but they vary in significance. Some of them contain important discoveries in the history of calligraphy, some are perspectives and experiences that have never been revealed, and some bring into communication sensations, and experiences that have never been able to be conveyed. There are also exercises that unfold on a level never before described in the literature, based on the results of today's calligraphic research.

Traditionally, calligraphic techniques have been divided into three sections such as brushwork, character structure, and chapter technique, with very little written about ink techniques. This book is also according to the arrangement of the first three parts of the content, they constitute the foundation of the book.

The techniques that have been discussed in the literature and recent writings have been redefined and explained, and in addition to these, some of the techniques that have been "lost" have been included in the exercises. These are "Oscillation II" (Exercise 117), "Continuous Turning of the Stroke II" (Exercise 123), and "Continuous Turning of the Stroke III" (Exercise 124), The five exercises "Stroke Movement within Dots and Strokes" (Exercise 131) and "Stroke Movement between Dots and Strokes" (Exercise 133) are the core of the course.

Based on "Hidden Stroke II" (Exercise 15) and "Oscillation II", "Stroke Analysis IV" (Exercise 143) provides a "trial and error" approach to the complex shape of a stroke. In "Stroke Analysis IV" (Exercise 143), a method of "trial and error adjustment" is provided to gradually approach the complex shapes of dots. Some of the movements are not complicated, such as "Swinging I and II" and "Hidden Stroke II", but the writing habits of later generations have changed and these key features have been overlooked. They are the starting point of those "lost" strokes.

Under the influence of the Regular Script of the Tang Dynasty, all styles of writing incorporated lifting, pressing, and stopping, and the popular "hidden-front" style is a product of this type of writing: the tip of the brush is used to make a wrapping (or pressing and stuttering) motion, hiding the tip of the brush (the tip of the brush) inside the stroke. This makes the beginning and end of the strokes thick, but destroys the continuity of writing, especially in running script and cursive script, which are greatly affected. In Jin and Tang Dynasty running script and cursive script, most of the strokes can be thick and round without any movement after they are dropped and run directly.

Looking closely at these works, the strokes fall vertically as they are written, and the strokes are wrapped in the ink color as they fall. I define this as a new method of hiding the brush. This method helps to break the confinement of the Tang Dynasty Regular Script's "stay" brushwork, and is of great significance in grasping the brushwork of early Running Script and Cursive Script. Few people think that such a simple exercise is an important part of reproducing the "ancient method".

Biography of Qiu Zhenzhong:

Qiu Zhenzhong was born in 1947 in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. He is the director of the Lanting School of Calligraphy and Art at the Shaoxing College of Arts and Sciences, a professor and doctoral supervisor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. He is the author of Forms and Interpretation of Calligraphy, Where God Dwells, Writing and Care, Chinese Calligraphy: 167 Exercises, and The Calligraphy, Painting, and Poetry of Qiu Zhenzhong, the Contemporary Sisyphus, and other works.

Born in 1947 in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. 1981 Postgraduate graduate in Calligraphy from Zhejiang Academy of Fine Arts. Master of Arts. He is now a professor and doctoral supervisor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and vice president of the Comparative Study of Calligraphy and Painting. 1995-1997, he was a visiting professor at the Nara National University of Education in Japan. He has held many solo exhibitions in Beijing, Geneva, Nara and Los Angeles, and participated in various important exhibitions such as "29 Modern Artists from China Living at this Time" (National Museum of Modern Art, Germany).

He is the author of Form and Interpretation of Calligraphy, Where God Lives, Writing and Care, Chinese Calligraphy: 167 Exercises, and The Calligraphy, Painting, and Poetry of Qiu Zhenzhong, the Contemporary Sisyphus, etc. He has also held numerous solo exhibitions in Beijing, Geneva, Nara, and Los Angeles.