Jing Ge’s calligraphy is number one in the domestic literary circle. His small cursive calligraphy, elegant and intelligent, and step-by-step, are both Zen-like and full of talent, which you can't help but like. It is also a pleasure to watch him write live. Some people write too awkwardly, some people show signs of shrinkage when writing, and some people hold the pen like a hoe and gouge it, leaving nothing but scars on the paper. Jing Ge writes with his back straight, standing tall, his arms stretched out long, his fingers holding the pen vertically, his long hair hanging down his shoulders, his eyes indifferent, quite like a master.

I don’t know how many times he copied the Heart Sutra, but I particularly like the one he painted in “Late Spring of the Year of Renchen”. I compared this calligraphy with the "Yue Yi Tie" by Suo Jing, a calligrapher of the Jin Dynasty, and felt that there are similarities in the two people's calligraphy, such as the thickness of the ink, the change of thick and dry, the tilt of the calligraphy, etc. Compared with Jing Ge's writing, it seems to be more casual and has an overall charm. Although the spacing between the lines is dense, there is order, and although it is uneven, it is orderly. His starting strokes often follow the momentum, and his finishing strokes often reveal his strokes. The awns give people the interest of silver hooks and tails, making them memorable.

I have been studying Chinese bamboo slips recently and have been involved in Zhangcao for the first time. I feel that Zhangcao is very difficult to control compared to official script and regular script. It has strict norms, procedures and fixed strokes, but there is no lack of room for personal expression and change. The so-called "calm and joyful" (see Liu Xizai's "Art Introduction") is reasonable and interesting, legal and interesting. Of course, Jing Ge has gone through a considerable amount of training, but more importantly, he understands and grasps the pen and ink and writing space, and matches it with his personal temperament and taste. This kind of writing state is called "Oriental leisure" by critic Zhang Ruitian (see the preface to "Jing Ge·Writing"), and writer Ye Zhaoyan praises it as "elegant". Jing Ge expressed this state vividly in his collection of calligraphy works "Jing Ge·Writing". He said: “Any form of writing that can be called calligraphy should be filled with personalized interest. This is the only reason why calligraphy can still survive in an era when the brush is completely replaced by other writing tools.… …For me personally, writing calligraphy is an aesthetic activity, an expression and release of emotions, a kind of calmness, a kind of combing, and a kind of leisure and entertainment. "So, Looking at his calligraphy, it seems that he is almost free from the constraints and specifications of any font. The so-called "teacher's heart is for his own use" is just like Zheng Banqiao's. In my opinion, Jing Ge's calligraphy is close to regular script and has the foundation of Han Li, while his writing style has the flavor of Zhang Cao. He paid special attention to the overall aesthetic effect. "The strokes of each word correspond to each other, looking forward to the emotions" and "each has his own beauty" (see Chen Zhidong's "Stone Pot Theory on Painting"). From this, Jing's style was formed. The unique tone and atmosphere of song calligraphy.

Jing Ge started painting in the past few years, and his skills are impressive. Calligraphy and painting complement each other, which is consistent with Zhang Yanyuan's saying that "calligraphy and painting are one body". In the past, Xu Wei "used cursive calligraphy to paint" and was praised as "there is painting in the book, and there is calligraphy in the painting" (Zhang Dai said). Now Jing Ge uses the elegance, clumsiness, interest and beauty of calligraphy to pursue the state of "writing painting" of the ancients. In addition to the abstraction of calligraphy, I have gained a freer and more self-contained artistic conception of pen and ink. Lake rocks, teapots, cups and bowls, tables and chairs, flowers and trees, etc., which are regarded as still life in Western paintings, embody the creator's personal emotions and perceptions in Chinese literati ink paintings. For example, Jing Ge's "Family Flowers" has a simple composition, an old-fashioned chair and an unnamed flower. Rose? Rose? Or peonies? It is said that Bada Shan people like to paint fish. When someone asked him what kind of fish he was, his answer was: I don’t know, I just think it’s beautiful to paint like this. This is the uniqueness of Chinese freehand painting and the difference from Western still life painting. Li Kuchan calls it "comprehensive modeling". In Qi Baishi's words, it is "between resemblance and dissimilarity. Too much resemblance is considered kitsch. It doesn’t seem like you’re trying to deceive the world.” The inscription is an important part of this painting, and it is the finishing touch: "The green window is idle, people sleep in dreams, and the birds sing quietly." This is a sentence from Xue Angfu's Sanqu of the Yuan Dynasty (the author said that the Song Dynasty was wrong), "Green Window" "People", "birds", "leisure", "dreams" and "quiet sounds" point out the space and artistic conception outside the painting, making the painting and calligraphy, objects and abstractions echo each other, and the realm is fully revealed. Isn’t this the subjective world that Chinese literati pursue?

"Just Eating Tea" is also interesting. There are two tea utensils, one is a cup and the other is a bowl. One is tall and the other is short. They are placed in the lower left corner of the picture. The upper part is "Tea" by Qian Chunnian of the Ming Dynasty. The words in "Tea Spectrum": "There are many teas produced in the world..." occupy one-third of the space of the picture. The beauty of the characters contrasts with the clumsiness of the painting. The sense of space of calligraphy and the sense of space of ink achieve a natural balance. balance. This painting reminds me of the koan "Go and have tea", and "just have tea" should be another interpretation or deconstruction of this koan by Jing Ge.

Self-portraits are not common among ancient Chinese painters, but this does not mean that Chinese literati are not narcissistic enough. They will use landscapes, flowers and birds - for example, "Plum Blossoms, Orchid, Bamboo" "Chrysanthemum" refers to itself as a gentleman, magnifying one's arrogance and nobility. Jing Ge's self-portrait goes against tradition, abandoning rhetoric and showing his candid self. "Self-Portrait with Mask" is a very "contemporary" work, with Chinese-style clothing, a twisted and flying Chagall-like figure, and a Van Gogh-style background, with vivid colors and full of *** rotation. And the dynamic brushstrokes, especially the nameless flower that appears many times in his paintings, give people a sense of contentment and joy, a kind of self-confidence and childlike innocence that even a mask cannot hide.

This is of course a reflection of Jing Ge’s own living conditions, and it is also, in my opinion, one of the few examples of Chinese literati who are playing with tradition and playing with the present.

I appreciate Jing Ge’s current living conditions, including writing, painting, and collecting. These three items almost meet the conditions and standards of “losing one’s mind by playing with things”. What is "ambition"? When we were young, we were tempted and coerced by this "ambition" and were so exhausted and burdened that we risked life and death for each other. But after destiny, should people give themselves a way to live? Face yourself, be straightforward, obey nature, and return to your original intention. To borrow the words of Comrade Zhu Xinjian - "Decide to be happy." I thought so too.