A great scholar of a generation, a visual master - appreciation of the art of Yao Junqing's list of books

Wang Songlin

The sea is calm and the words are like the person he is. The famous Chinese calligrapher Mr. Yao Junqing confirms this sentence. At the age of 78, he is neither deaf nor blind, with piercing eyes and a heroic spirit between his brows. He speaks generously and boldly, behaves dignified and tough, and looks like a hero. The masculine spirit combined with the majestic list complement each other.

Yao Junqing has been fond of writing since he was a child. He was born in Heishan County, Liaoning Province. When he was a child, he looked at his father's good calligraphy and was envious from the bottom of his heart. So he often pestered his father to teach him calligraphy. Whenever he had free time, he and his friends would take branches and gravels and write and draw on the sand, mudflats by rivers, and in the snow. Maybe it’s the childhood game complex, or maybe it’s the innate love for words. Looking at the graffiti on the ground, I feel infinite happiness in my heart.

I feel fun in writing, from fun to interest, and from interest to step by step, I became a master in the Chinese calligraphy world. Mr. Yao Junqing, who is currently the Cultural Ambassador of Intellectual Property of the People's Republic of China, a master's tutor in calligraphy at Renmin University of China, and an academician of the Ziguangge Painting Academy of the Central Working Committee of the Communist Party of China, speaks freely and has begun a new exploration of calligraphy books. . On April 26, 2012, Yao Junqing’s Bangshu Art Exhibition and Academic Seminar was held grandly at the Art Museum of the College of Humanities of Northeast Normal University. Yao’s Bangshu works represent the strength and top art of today’s Bangshu and have won widespread attention and praise from the domestic and foreign art circles. .

The book is majestic and solemn, and every word contains the author's profound writing skills. Yao Junqing is a northerner, and the "spirit" forged from the vast fertile soil of the Northeast has been integrated into his life and has become the soul of his book. Yao Junqing believes that the vast world in the north has nourished his calligraphy art and cultivated his heroic personality. He said that the key to writing a list book is to put the intention first. Before writing, you should be able to see the words on the paper, and you should know each stroke well. Therefore, the person who writes must grasp the direction of the entire word; a little bit is like a falling stone from a mountain; a horizontal line is like a cloud formation thousands of miles away; and a vertical line is like a ten thousand-year-old withered vine. Yao Junqing not only likes calligraphy, but also likes movies, especially the cradle of Chinese movies - Changying Studio, which has improved his calligraphy art and inscribed more than 300 movie titles. He integrated his profound understanding of traditional culture into his works of list books, making the art of list books constantly innovative and sublimated.

Bang Shu, also known as Shu Shu in ancient times, is one of the eight styles of Qin Shu. "Qin Shu has eight styles, Liuyue Shu", which is the earliest written record of the list. It is the script used for ancient plaques and so on. "Bian, bureau, is from the household register. The household register is the document of the bureau's portal." The ancient list is like the plaque of later generations, which is called bureau. The earliest record of the plaque was made by Xiao He in the sixth year of Emperor Gao of the Han Dynasty, "It is also used to inscribe the two palaces of 'Cang Long' and 'White Tiger'." Yang Xinyun of the Northern and Southern Dynasties: Xiao He of the former Han Dynasty was good at seal script, "It was completed for the front hall, Tan Si March , to inscribe the forehead, the viewer is like a stream." It can be seen that it was first used to inscribe the forehead of the palace gate. Later, the larger characters were called Bangshu, also called "Bouhu". Break means thumb; nest means hole; the hole in the thumb means the tiger's mouth. The use of "哘媠" for large-scale characters is different from the use of "stirrup" for small-scale characters. The method of holding large brushes is used to call the list book, which shows its distinctive characteristics. The list of books has gradually formed its own aesthetic value in the development of more than two thousand years. At the same time, it also has historical, academic and practical value. It shows people the literary styles, current affairs, geography, history, writing and culture of different eras. The changes in the art of calligraphy have become a physical example for us to study national culture.

With the passage of time, the concept of Bangshu has gradually expanded, indicating the formation of Bangshu's branch status in calligraphy. There are many similarities between Bangshu and other forms of calligraphy, but they have "different doors" and have been "difficult since ancient times." Kang Youwei wrote in "Guang Yizhou Shuangji" that Bangshu "is different from small characters, and has been difficult since ancient times." There are five difficulties: one is the difference in holding the pen, the other is the difference in movement and control, the third is the sudden change in standing, the fourth is the difficulty in imitating the posture, and the fifth is the difficulty in mastering the pen. He is proficient in the method of stele writing, and often makes mistakes..." Mi Fu said in "Haiyue Quotes": "When people write large characters, they use more force to grasp the pen, and the characters become less muscular and round, as if they are steaming. "Cake, it's ridiculous. It must be like small calligraphy, with full strokes and no artificiality." Although you are writing big characters, you still need to have the skills to write small characters. Only by practicing small characters can you achieve precise stipples and strong strokes. Prepared.

If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools. Master the requirements of pen size, thick ink, thick paper, and deep inkstone, etc., and strive to write freely. Coupled with my own continuous practice and speculation, the list of books that has been difficult since ancient times will become an easy task, and then I will gradually get better and create a perfect list of high-quality books.

The reason why the list of books has spread and is better than today is because of its bold, powerful, vigorous and majestic momentum that can inspire and empower people. The main body of calligraphy, whether it is small and beautiful or majestic, delicate or as powerful as a rainbow, whether it is a literati's hand-drawn work or a large masterpiece, affectionate or masculine, naturally gives people different feelings. Quiet and elegant works can indeed cultivate people, cultivate their moral character, and purify their souls, but majestic works can shock people's hearts even more, giving them inspiring power, inspiring people to forge ahead, and inspiring heroic spirit and the spirit of the endless Yangtze River.

Yao Lao's list of books is bold and lively.

The concepts and techniques of calligraphy from the Qin, Han, Wei, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties that he was familiar with have been adjusted, supplemented and refined in the new understanding. For this reason, he searched for his art in the Qin, Han, Jin and Wei. As for "I", he discovered the connection point between classical calligraphy and modern artistic expression, and found a feeling - heroic and agile beauty. Yao Lao's calligraphy as a whole is experiencing how to seamlessly combine free and casual expression with precise and detailed processing. This requires a good artistic sense, solid and profound traditional techniques and profound artistic pursuits. Specific to the works, Mr. Paying more and more attention to the bold and elegant artistic experience, I faced another "childbirth" pain. For example, the emphasis on "inking" is an element that is easily overlooked by ordinary calligraphers. It just shows Mr.’s new intention in calligraphy. Yao Lao's calligraphy is very lively and flexible in terms of writing style, and is full of strong expressiveness, appeal and impact. His momentum, which seemed like thousands of horses galloping, made people feel relaxed for a long time. Whether it is a single-character, double-character, four-character or multi-character list book, it makes people feel a kind of "dignified beauty, masculine beauty, and rhythmic beauty"; such as the opening words of Mr.'s running script work "The Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and Su Shi's water tune song title The poems of Li Bai, Du Fu, etc. all reflect his cultural foundation of inheriting the Jin Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty.

In the art of calligraphy, the study of stele emphasizes the "strength of bones" to win with both bones and strength; the study of calligraphy always pays attention to "qiyun" and wins by both Qi and rhyme. Raising the monument and suppressing the post or promoting the post and suppressing the monument, the former leads to characterization; the latter leads to softness and flattery. Both are partial scholars and are not knowledgeable in art. Mr. Yao Junqing absorbed the calligraphy artistic charm of the Yan, European and Northern Wei dynasties and combined it with the calligraphy art of the "Three Kings" (i.e. Wang Xizhi, Wang Xianzhi and Wang Xun) to form a calligraphy style that is majestic, majestic, handsome and dangerous, endowed with warmth and dignity, and free and easy in its ups and downs. Unique artistic style of the list.

Yao Junqing's list is full of passion. Without creative passion, the expected results cannot be achieved. When the passion reaches the point of superhuman courage and strength, when it comes to the ambition to win a thousand miles, he writes freely and in one go. , excellent products can be made. His passion is also reflected in the rhythm of characters. Chinese characters have inherent characteristics such as size, length, width, unevenness, staggeredness, and density. When using them, their characteristics should be fully utilized in the work. To create a strong sense of rhythm in the work, the writing movements should be crisp, ups and downs, and the lifting and pressing should be measured. The center should be the main one, supplemented by the side forwards, and the whole body should be strengthened by moving the arms, elbows and waist, and rhythmic breathing and steps. Pay close attention to every detail. Only in this way can the characters written in this way be vivid and striking. From the perspective of Yao Lao's cursive writing, it is orderly and new from time to time. The calligraphy of Yao Junqing should be natural and natural, no matter how big or small the calligraphy is. Pay attention to the structure of the font to be as tight and compact as possible without losing the shape, brushwork, and naturalness so that it does not become loose and deformed when enlarged. Pay attention to the calmness and steadyness of the strokes, strokes, and strokes, with clear strokes and strokes. The balance between light and heavy, long and short, is powerful. His characters are like ocean waves, containing majestic waves, majesty, danger and ups and downs, natural peace and vividness. He is using philosophical means to control the contradictions of calligraphy. It has reached a supreme state. Yao Lao's official script and Wei stele calligraphy works are more square and clumsy, with loose and smooth strokes, and rigorous rules. They are full of ancient charm and ornamental value.

Yao Junqing’s calligraphy is full of spirit. The key to whether the calligraphy has momentum is the spirit. The ancients said: The spirit of calligraphy is the most important, followed by the form and quality. It is both technique and thought. The fusion of ideas is both style and spirit, and it is the collision of pen and ink with the times. Writing a list of books sometimes advocates stippling, which is the difference between writing album pages and writing letters. If the stippling is not precise enough, it is definitely not a good work. However, it is impossible to only pay attention to the precise stippling without paying attention to the momentum and special aesthetic taste. It must be messy, vigorous, lively, and vivid. The first thing to focus on is momentum, followed by the various techniques in calligraphy. Of course, focusing on momentum is not about being careless and carefree. Momentum is a kind of arduous creation based on profound traditional skills and considerable creative ability. , it is also an expression of the author's thoughts, emotions and feelings about the times. When talking about momentum, we should also pay attention to the mutual correspondence between words and the coherence of momentum.

Mr. Yao Junqing believes that calligraphy is an art. One is a comprehensive art based on history, literature, music, drama, poetry, painting and many other disciplines. Generally speaking in history: "Achieved and accomplished calligraphers are relatively rich in knowledge and knowledgeable." Guang "has everything in his mind, and the spirit of the book naturally overflows between the lines." While focusing on inner cultivation, Mr. Yao pays more attention to the subtleties of the art of calligraphy. Jiang Baishi said in "Xu Shu Pu": "The ink left by the ancients, every bit of it, is unique, and it is because of the exquisiteness of the brush." ??Mr. Yao Junqing pays attention to the effect, sometimes using the center, sometimes using both. A winger, he never cares about being a center forward or a partial forward. Judging from most of his calligraphy works, the strokes are handsome, round and strong, with strong and soft strokes that are constantly changing, one vertical and one horizontal, one point and one stroke, meditating and integrating, seeking changes in balance and finding unity in diversity. Upright, turning, tilting up, and back "Qin Jing is a word, and the merit is self-sufficient; the whole line is viewed together, and the beauty lies in the ups and downs of each other."

The lines are pure and clear, they are born and formed suddenly, without leaving any room for a hair, without any delay, without delay, forming an elegant and elegant momentum and graceful grace.

The list written by Yao Junqing moves like a rolling stone on the top, steep and steep in the wind; it is as stable as Mount Tai on the bottom, and takes root when it lands. This is a typical mountain style - Yao style, and it is also a symbol of Yao Junqing's calligraphy art reaching its peak. For example, the word "dragon" starts with vigor like an eagle fighting, and ends with the stroke of thunder; "tiger", "longevity", "qingfeng", "yuntao", "golden dragon goes out to sea", "virtue carries things", "the best is like water", " "Big waves wash over the sand" and so on, taking stillness in movement, taking movement in stillness, seeking danger in movement, seeking stability in danger; each large character is written smoothly, with strong workmanship, completed in one go, superb, endless aftertaste, and breathtaking.

The nature of "generous and boundless" Yao Junqing contains the vastness of the sea and the loftiness of the sky. This kind of inherent personality, talent and atmosphere of the calligrapher is the key to the success of Yao Junqing's book. With the help of China The avenue of calligraphy art relies on the profound heritage of ancient sages, open your mind, and harness the wind in the perfection and self-sufficiency of writing. This is exactly a kind of forgetfulness, a profound and grand forgetfulness. In such a large-scale writing moment, Yao Junqing has elevated himself to a higher state from ordinary writing, and his heart is rolling on the glyphs. In the essence of Dharma books passed down from ancient times to the present, "encounter with spirit rather than with eyesight, "Observation knows the cessation and the spirit desires to act." Yao Junqing not only completed a transcendent inner release of "undressing the clothes", but also allowed us to experience the great spirit of "progressing with skills rather than the Tao". Yao Junqing's Dabaang Shu, with its perfect and complete art of calligraphy, shows the realm of life's "life without forgetting each other". Yao Junqing's book list uses his own heart to inherit such a great visual revolution. His dynamic style continues to peek or listen to the call slowly coming from the supreme natural realm, and turns it into a soul-moving image. process. This process allows people, today's world, and all telepaths to sense and follow the activated pen, to truly experience the natural state of "techniques that are close to the Tao", and to experience the mutual blending of "extensive arts" that is inherent in life. environment, and it is possible to truly understand the mission of a true calligrapher to maintain and display the spirit of Chinese calligraphy.

His huge list books, whether they are in cursive script, or in regular script, Wei stele, and Han li, have exceeded the limits of the study. The pen and ink are completely spiritualized, and the spirit is abstracted from the specific writing. The visual experience they bring is no longer watching, but experiencing a situation and a feeling. This kind of situation is created by the combination of his contemplative spirit and carefree leisure. In this sense, his calligraphy is both a book and not a book, but also a super-book, entering a realm that transcends specific dots and lines and is related to the great classics. The spiritual realm of cultural heritage.

Yao Junqing’s large-scale works are not limited to changes in form. Something more fundamental has changed in his writing. First of all, in large-scale writing, the larger the size, the stronger the overall visual impact, and the easier it is for the writing to lose the exquisite richness between the fingers and wrists. This requires the calligrapher to have both the skills of fighting the ancients and the ability to adapt. Tao - in Mr. Yao's works, these two create the unity of the majestic momentum and the majestic brushwork.

Yao Laobang's works combine greatness, momentum, boldness and elegance. He has experienced the tremendous spiritual and ideological changes that modern China has experienced, and has a profound understanding of the ups and downs of calligraphy art in social and cultural changes. With his unique teachings and profound traditional skills, he could have been in the cradle of film and still enjoy great fame, but his pure and sincere artist temperament prompted him to devote himself to new explorations without any scruples. . At this time, his natural connection with the world of traditional calligraphy made him the most qualified experimenter with sharp eyes and profound thoughts. At the age of nearly 80, he pioneered the art of list books and created a series of classic list books, which is really commendable!

There is a tradition of writing large characters in the history of calligraphy, but it is extremely rare for people to write with skill, spirit, style and knowledge. There is a big difference between the writing of large characters and small characters. The rhythm, brushwork, and structure need to be greatly adjusted, and they may even become contradictory to the writing of small characters. Every step of the evolution of calligraphy itself must cut into the core of contemporary art, placing it in the most controversial and potential creative space. Its purpose is also very clear: by reaffirming the status that calligraphy has historically enjoyed in the history of Chinese visual culture, it will present original vitality on the current global art stage.

In today's era, calligraphy has completely withdrawn from the scope of daily life. It is no longer used as a reading and writing tool. It has gradually been submerged in public spaces by computer fonts and pattern designs. The art field has become the most important field of calligraphy. The main activity space. In 2011, Chinese calligraphy was included in the World Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection List, starting a journey to the pinnacle of Chinese calligraphy. Chinese calligraphers have a long way to go, inheriting and promoting, responsibilities and missions, opportunities and challenges, and historic placements. In front of me. Mr. Yao Junqing is an old man who is brave and ambitious. Mr. Yao Junqing vigorously expands his skills in calligraphy. In addition to participating in various modern calligraphy experiments, he also searches for today's life experience in the traditional functions of calligraphy and promotes calligraphy techniques as a way of cultivation. . Calligraphy does not appear in daily experience, so acting in extraordinary situations becomes a new challenge for calligraphers. Yao Lao's large-scale calligraphy not only showed the ultimate in skills, but also strongly stimulated the visual experience of contemporary art and refreshed the contemporary art image of calligraphy.

If we change the historical perspective and look at today through the long lens of the history of calligraphy, Yao Lao's list of books is worthy of the ancients, and even more worthy of the newcomers.