Mr. Xu Beihong wrote these words many times before his death. His student Shen Zuoyao said in his reminiscence article "Be Exquisite and Broad" that Xu Beihong wrote the most words for students' calligraphy: "Be Exquisite and Broad". It can be seen how important Xu Beihong's mantra is in his heart.
On the morning of April 2, 20 19, at the centenary ceremony of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, * * * was the unveiling of the inscription of Xu Beihong's motto "Be as subtle as possible". Once again witnessed the far-reaching influence of Xu Beihong's thought of "doing the smallest and paying the most"
Mr. Xu Beihong is a progressive scholar in the era of old learning and new learning. Their enlightenment began with old learning, four books and five classics. But when they were young, it was the time when China New Culture Movement and China abolished the imperial examination and opened new schools.
Therefore, the cultural and ideological foundation of their generation is deeply influenced by the old school.
Xu Beihong "respects morality and asks for learning; Broad and subtle; Very clear and the doctrine of the mean "is one of the four books and five classics" the doctrine of the mean "in chapter 27 of a passage:
Etiquette 300, dignity 3000. Treat people first, then do things. Therefore, it is said, "Without virtue, there is no condensation. Therefore, the gentleman respects morality and seeks knowledge, making it broad and subtle, extremely clear and moderate. Review the old and learn the new, with trepidation. I was not arrogant in my former residence, but I didn't feel inferior either. There are state-owned roads, and their words are enough to prosper the country; There is no way for the country, and silence is enough. " "Poetry" said: "You must have both wisdom and philosophy to protect your body. "This is called and!
Mr. Xu Beihong condensed the main idea of this passage, and always condensed his "respect for morality, respect for Taoism and respect for learning; Be broad and precise: extremely bright and moderate "is the motto of being a man and learning." "He copied this passage more than once and gave it to his students as a motto, encouraging them to learn and be human.
Among them, "broad and profound" is especially Xu Beihong's most valued artistic motto. Therefore, this sentence that Xu Beihong often said is so famous that it has become the school motto engraved in the Central Academy of Fine Arts today.
So why does Xu Beihong attach so much importance to these words?
There are both methodology and learning values here, so Xu Beihong highly praised the excellent ancient cultural traditions.
The main ideological source of ancient scholars is "Four Books and Five Classics". In the Ming and Qing dynasties, it was not just a matter of memorizing words and phrases, but "winning their trust", that is, fully understanding the words and phrases in Confucian classics.
The original code was "to be profound", which originally meant that Confucian children, as gentlemen, should have broad arms and concrete practice at the same time, and should not talk about ideals and minds.
Xu Beihong quoted this sentence into his own artistic thought, and made some changes, which became "to be subtle and broad." It means that painting needs careful observation and in-depth thinking, and a broad artistic atmosphere is a good art.
Xu Beihong requires students to draw pictures in this way, which has specific disadvantages.
When Xu Beihong advocated realistic painting, there were also some schools of traditional Chinese painting that pretended to be false and advocated western modernist painting in China.
Xu Beihong believes that Chinese painting must be improved, painting should have substantive content, not empty, and play with pen and ink skills.
Therefore, he also put forward the view that "Ning Zhuo is not clever, rather ugly than flattering, rather fragmentary and not smooth, rather straightforward and not arranged", which is actually aimed at empty Chinese paintings.
Xu Beihong has always advocated that painting should be rich in content and eclectic in form. He often said in Mencius with all his heart: "Abundance means beauty, fullness means brilliance means greatness". He also wrote a couplet: "Enrichment is beauty, and practice is close to benevolence". This is the driving force behind Xu Beihong's efforts to be subtle.
Therefore, don't underestimate Xu Beihong's subtle changes to the sentence "Be broad and precise" in The Doctrine of the Mean. Xu Beihong's artistic thought has always required students to draw in a down-to-earth way, and first of all, to observe and experience things accurately.
For example, sketching Xu Beihong often asks students to find out the brightest and darkest places. Only by rational comparative thinking can we truly discover subtle pleasures and the profound connection between details and the whole.
If you don't find anything in a lot of details, how can you describe things in depth?
According to Shen Zuoyao, a student of Xu Beihong, Xu Beihong asked them to draw sketches and sketches, not only to watch the plaster statue from a close distance, but also from a long distance. See more and draw less. Only by understanding it and analyzing it accurately can we draw an excellent sketch. The plaster statue is dead, but we should draw the soft plaster statue, not the cold plaster statue.
Xu Beihong wrote a letter to one of his students about how to draw a horse, and repeatedly stressed the need to carefully observe the horse's expression.
Xu Beihong also asked students to "recite the painting" after sketching, so as to test what you remembered and what you easily forgot in the process of painting.
Xu Beihong wrote the most inscriptions for students: "Be subtle and broad".
Judging from the practice of Xu Beihong's artistic thought, what he called "implication and broadness" not only refers to implication, but also to broadness.
In painting, it is not difficult to be too subtle, endless and impenetrable. This kind of painting is only the accumulation of "things" and materials, so even if the painting is "super realistic", it is of little significance.
However, don't go to the other extreme, that is, "beyond things", what universe and life, oversoul and metamatter, and so on.
This kind of "art" is actually the word "empty".
As far as learning is concerned, it is for the general public to have a lofty mind. However, strict scientific evidence is not needed, and accurate evidence needs to be verified. This is called "doing everything possible".
If meticulous is a concrete, in-depth and realistic style, then we must have higher goals and higher ideals for the masses. Art is always on the road.
Xu Beihong's own life is the same, so he practiced his own artistic thought.
For example, Qi Baishi's paintings are also freehand brushwork, splashing ink and specific life details. Therefore, they give people a full sense of beauty. Since Xu Beihong knew Qi Baishi, he has always been very supportive and appreciative of his paintings. The reason for this is that Qi Baishi's paintings are the most vivid practical examples of "imperceptibly reaching the public". He explained, "Be subtle and face the public."
I think this mantra of Xu Beihong is a high artistic practice and ideal even today.
Anyone who is interested in artistic ideals, I think, must have a solid spirit of struggle and lofty aspirations, as well as subtle observation and discovery, and profound historical vision, which is the basis for producing great artists.