-Liu Gongquan
When I first saw Mr. Liu Meixiao's new seal script, I immediately thought of Mr. Han Meilin's painting. This is not surprising. In China, calligraphy and painting are of the same origin. As the saying goes, "seal script is like a circle, official script is like a silkworm." Mr. Han Meilin's mellow paintings are all marked with seal script, while Mr. Liu Meixiao's new seal script is like a circle, which has a strong painting meaning.
Mr. Han Meilin absorbed the essence from the culture and folk art in China before the Han Dynasty, and absorbed the advantages of western art. He skillfully combined the eastern and western artistic techniques such as realism, exaggeration, abstraction, freehand brushwork, meticulous brushwork and impression, and formed his own unique artistic style, which is both simple and modern. Before the Han Dynasty, especially in the Qin Dynasty, Xiao Zhuan was magnificent and would not affect Mr. Han. Chinese characters are born out of pictures, and there are still traces of pictures in seal script. Everything is the basis of Chinese characters, so Chinese characters have the meaning of things. Mr. Liu must know this well, so his seal script is very picturesque.
Calligraphy is picturesque and superior. Mr. Li Kuchan said, "A book is a painting when it reaches its acme, and a book when it reaches its acme".
Among the five principles of calligraphy, seal script is the oldest. Therefore, seal script is precious in simplicity and ethereal. No matter how innovative you are, as long as you lose simplicity and emptiness, you lose the soul of the seal.
The beauty of seal script lies in its simplicity and fluency. Sun in the Tang Dynasty said, "Seal cutting is still moist and smooth". Although there are only three words, it has profound connotation and accurately reveals the basic pen posture of seal script and the target requirements of stroke quality of seal script. No matter how innovative you are, as long as you lose the "graceful and fluent", you will lose the essence of seal script.
Art is different from technology, technology likes the new and hates the old, and art likes the new and hates the old.
Liu Meixiao's seal script accurately grasps these points, which is both "old" and "new" and quite innovative.
When it comes to calligraphy innovation, I think of Jin Nong, the first of the "Eight Eccentrics in Yangzhou".
Among the "Eight Eccentrics in Yangzhou", Jin Nong has the most extensive cultivation. His talent in poetry and prose is revealed early, and he is good at appreciating stone tablets, calligraphy, management of printing, and seal cutting of inkstones. He is weak by nature. "His temperament is steep and the world is more eccentric." Perhaps it was this "strangeness" that made him fall in love with Han Li. He had a unique taste and created his own exquisite and unique official script style. What is the beauty of Jinnong Lishu? Traditional official script pays attention to "silkworm head and goose tail" and "twists and turns", which has almost become the iron law of official script. However, Jin Nong, who has a dangerous temperament, dares to break the custom and embark on a dangerous road. "Don't hesitate to rest in a corner and swim in an invisible field." He omitted the wave strokes of the official script's morphological characteristics, and showed them in the most convenient and comfortable form, which was full of ancient meaning, simple in form, and different from the previous ones: vertical side walls were the main ones, with square shapes and strokes, thick and thick, horizontal and straight, angular; The strokes are thick and thin, the waves are thick and thick, the outside is not dry, and the middle is quite strong. At first glance, Jinnong's official script is a bit unlike official script; Look again, this is official script; Look carefully, this is a wonderful official script. This is the "singularity" of Jinnong official script, which is both innovative and changeable.
All successful painters and calligraphers are often not confined to one corner. They are a little strange, and unlike others, they are good at giving full play to their own eccentricities, filling them with cultural connotations and exerting them to the extreme. Mr. Jinnong and Mr. Han Meilin are examples.
"Weird" to the extreme can be psychic. Gu Kaizhi said that "wonderful paintings are psychic", and I think wonderful words are psychic.
Similarly, Mr. Liu Meixiao's new seal script, at first glance, is a bit unlike seal script; Look again, this is a seal script; Look carefully, this is a good seal script, but also "strange." Where is the "strange"?
No matter what kind of font, there must be god, breath, bone, meat, muscle and blood. These are all contained in the strokes and structures of one point, one horizontal stroke, one vertical stroke and one vertical stroke, which is the first impression that calligraphy works give people.
Writing seal script, the authentic ancient law requires taking the center as the main point, which is the criterion of "it is not easy through the ages". The center stands upright, the brush strokes are round and smooth, and the brush strokes are restrained and hidden in the brush strokes. Ink and wash make the dry and wet shades moderate and the breath is awesome. Empty your mind with a pen is not stagnation. "Beauty lies in the combination, and God lies in the separation and separation, which is wonderful." This virtual reality is also called "(Zhu Hezhen). The combination of reality and excess, plump and fleshy bones, vertical and horizontal support, harmonious use and easy communication can make the seal script of God, Qi, bone, tendon, blood and flesh enter the wonderful channel.
Line is the soul of calligraphy art and the eternal rule of artistic aesthetic evaluation standard. The expression of lines is a statement of the calligrapher's knowledge and skills, or elegant, adventurous, vigorous, elegant, old-fashioned, rough, vigorous, mature, lofty, etc., all of which reflect the calligrapher's knowledge and skills. Mo Yun, rhythm, movement, rhythm, tension and other line skills are fully exposed, behind which are self-cultivation, knowledge, mind, emotion and kung fu. Therefore, "doing" is the pulse of calligraphers' cultural attainments, and it has also become an important basis for others to evaluate.
The standard seal script is round in strokes, slender in shape, pure and simple, dense on the top and sparse on the bottom, and symmetrical in lines. No matter the length of stippling, the strokes are even in thickness and the strength is even in speed.
Looking at Mr. Liu Meixiao's new seal script, the structure is solid, the body stands with bones and muscles, the expression is polished, the bones are rich and the spirit is good; Knot words, proper density, vivid posture, simple and fixed, moderate font height-width ratio, dignified and elegant posture, ups and downs; The layout of the rules is vertical and horizontal, neatly arranged; With a pen, pay attention to the strength, deficiency, astringency, dryness and other details of bones. , virtual and real, slow and dignified, moist and dry coexist; The strokes are rhythmic, well connected, dignified and beautiful; Lines, tension, rhythm, proper release and release, both rigidity and softness, smooth and steady.
These are the characteristics of Mr Liu Meixiao's new seal script.
The uniqueness of Mr. Liu Meixiao's new seal script lies in the stroke lines, which break through the routine of uniform strokes regardless of the length of the strokes, and absorb the characteristics of early Oracle Bone Inscriptions, such as strictness, thinness, roundness, pointedness, error and easy unfolding, so that the strokes are thin, hard, straight, round and elegant, like clear water and clouds, full of lively atmosphere.
The general feeling of Mr. Liu Meixiao's new seal script is that the spirit, qi, bone, tendons, blood and flesh are all equipped, and the density is good. Although light but heavy, it seems light and heavy, light and elegant, noble, simple and ethereal. The brushwork, order, direction, rhythm and rhythm are mature, elegant, vivid and beautiful. Gu Zhuo is plain, gentle, elegant, beautiful and graceful, showing a delicate and graceful charm, which is both "simple and illusory" and full of modern sense and unique.
Ambiguous atmosphere is the highest realm of China's calligraphy art. Without extensive knowledge, it is difficult to reach this height without knowing how to respect the past and be good at the present. The charm of Mr. Liu Meixiao's new seal script is related to Mr. Liu's long-term knowledge accumulation, long-term artistic immersion, learning from others, continuous understanding, mastery and continuous practice.
China's calligraphy contains the great wisdom of China culture, and China's humanistic spirit is the soul of China's calligraphy. "The mountains are expensive and the veins are connected, and the water is expensive and the source is alive." Yi, Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, the source of Chinese civilization and national spirit, have become the eternal living water of China's calligraphy. The word Zi in China's calligraphy is no longer a literal symbol in the general sense. It has become the exposed heart of calligraphers' cultural feelings and knowledge. A good calligrapher, in addition to his talent, has to go through a process of continuous reading of posts, extensive study and learning from hundreds of teachers, as well as a process of hard study and practice of "accumulating wisdom, saving energy and waiting for no one". Without learning from the pre-Qin philosophers and the teachers of Sui and Tang Dynasties, without the accumulation of knowledge of Chinese studies, without the attainment of aesthetic knowledge, without the accumulation of life experience, without occasional comprehension and touching practice, it is difficult to reach a commendable and convincing realm.
Calligraphers' handwriting is the expression of their temperament. It is very important for a good calligrapher to cultivate a good temperament, which should be lofty and unrestrained, but also indifferent and peaceful. "Mind is the service of form, and form is the design of mind". Writing cursive script should have the spirit of "suddenly ringing three or five sounds, standing on the wall for a thousand words", while writing seal script, official script and regular script should be "with thunder in your chest and looking like a lake", calm and calm, "hide your hair, be poised", hold a pen in your hand, be heart-to-heart, put pen to paper calmly, and use solid ink to form a family. Mr Liu did it.
After years of hard work and self-motivation, Mr. Liu has been chewing all the sweets and bitters for a long time, and the subsets of classics and history are in his heart. It has produced different customs, stood out and created its own style of seal script art, which is an ancient writing.
Romain rolland said: "Art has no concept of progress, because no matter how far we look back, we will find that our predecessors have reached a perfect state. It would be ridiculous if some people think that centuries of hard work have brought us closer to perfection. "
What shall we do or Edison put it well: "The whole world gives way to those who are bent on achieving their goals."
? Postscript: Mr. Liu Meixiao is the inheritor of China quintessence art, a national first-class calligrapher, lifelong honorary president of China Cultural Research Institute and executive editor of China Art Yellow Pages. He studied calligraphy since childhood, first as "two kings", then as "Yan Liu", and devoted himself to studying Oracle Bone Inscriptions (Xinyin). On the basis of retaining the original basic form of seal script, he absorbed and integrated the characteristics of Kai, Xing, Cao and Li, and formed his own unique seal script style full of the flavor of the times. He has won the grand prize, gold prize and silver prize for dozens of times in calligraphy competitions at home and abroad, and achieved remarkable results. Teacher Wang asked me to write something about calligraphy reading many times. At first, I didn't dare to promise. Later, because I was soft-hearted, I couldn't hold a few good words from Mr. Wang. I said yes anyway. Really ignorant, I don't know what it is.
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Mr zhanghua, thank you for letting us enjoy such a cultural feast. I always feel that Mr. zhanghua is like a wise man who walks alone in the pursuit of knowledge and art. With his profound knowledge, lonely meditation and life enlightenment, he left his peers far behind, so that his unique thoughts and true feelings in his heart were fixed in words, which reminds people of Zhuangzi's "My life is limited, but my knowledge is also limited" ... Mr. zhanghua has a strong feeling for Liu Mei School of Painting. Without attaching great importance to calligraphy and painting, it is difficult to write such a brilliant chapter. Just like I have always liked the paintings of Xu Beihong, Li Kuchan, Qi Baishi, Pan Tianshou and Lu Chishui, I can't tell the mystery. Thank you, Mr. zhanghua, for your exquisite works, which make people read, think and understand, and benefit a lot!
Pay tribute to Mr. Liu Meixiao, the inheritor of China quintessence art!
Therefore, I want to present a golden pen to show my gratitude!
Teacher Liu's new seal script is very unique. The first is steady, and the second is quaint and noble, dignified and elegant. The third picture is beautiful and exquisite. Viewers can't put it down. Book history, celebrities, famous articles and theories of names are all about books, which is eye-opening and refreshing. In the field of calligraphy art in China, everyone is brilliant and painters are so proficient. If you have time, it will be interesting to tell them one by one!
I haven't seen such a professional and exquisite calligraphy review for a long time. It's fascinating!
I really like the characteristics of a character like zhanghua, from point to surface, from shallow to deep. He often expands his thinking in multiple comparisons. In the blog post, the new, old and strange features of Liu Meixiao's seal script were elaborated in detail. During the period, the narrative of Shu Ba, Han Meilin and Jin Nong, the first of the Eight Eccentric Characters in Yangzhou, was randomly inserted, and some famous sayings were occasionally ordered. Reading zhanghua's articles is like having a family dinner. In addition to the main course, there are unexpected side dishes. Zhanghua's writing shows his inexpressible skills, and often inadvertently. It's hard to do.
Your article is really good.
Everything is involuntary. Judging from your blog post, although you are from a famous family, it seems that your branch does not belong to the cultural world, but the accumulation unconsciously expressed in the article is amazing. It is strange that you have no educational background in this field yourself.