01 基本概念 書法不是寫字
University of Virginia: An Overview of Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy Aesthetics and Calligraphy Studies
[Preface]
[Discovering the Charm of Calligraphy]
Steve Paul Jobs (1955-2011), the founder of Apple, passed away at a young age due to pancreatic cancer, reminding us not only to focus on preventive healthcare but also to seize the time to pursue our interests. During his college years, Jobs developed an interest in art and Zen, which led him to audit calligraphy and art classes despite dropping out. He said: “I learned about serif and sans-serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can’t capture, and I found it fascinating. None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”
Jobs, through his extracurricular interest in calligraphy, experienced the beauty, historical depth, and subtle artistry of calligraphy. This pertains to Western phonetic script calligraphy, while Chinese calligraphy carries even more historical, cultural, and artistic significance, especially the exemplary works of Wang Xizhi, such as “Lanting Xu” and “Seventeen Posts,” which represent the pinnacle of calligraphic technique, artistry, and spiritual expression. Perhaps after taking a calligraphy class, you might say: “We are luckier than Jobs and others who study Chinese calligraphy, as we get to learn the exquisite techniques of Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy.”
University of Virginia: An Overview of Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy Aesthetics and Calligraphy Studies
[Basic Concepts: Calligraphy is Not Just Writing]
The official teaching of Chinese characters follows a standardized “regular script” structure for “reading and writing,” known as “kaishu.” In everyday writing, people often use a more casual “cursive script” for speed and convenience, which is considered a vernacular style, not the formal “caoshu.” However, the core of Chinese calligraphy art lies in the diverse styles (seal script, clerical script, cursive script, running script, and regular script) and expressions developed by calligraphers throughout history based on their aesthetic sense and technical skill. These styles are collectively referred to as “tieti” (model script).
Therefore, calligraphy art primarily refers to the “tieti” created by calligraphers. Learning calligraphy requires copying these model scripts to master the techniques of different “tieti.” Only after mastering these can one move from “imitating the model” to creating original works.
Thus, calligraphy studies not only involve understanding the correct forms of the five script types (seal, clerical, cursive, running, and regular) to avoid “writing incorrectly,” but also aim to emulate the highest standards, with the exemplary “tiexue” (model script studies) as the goal. Appreciating and learning Wang Xizhi’s elegant characters is the core purpose of this course, titled “Wang Xizhi’s Calligraphy Aesthetics and Calligraphy Studies.”
The evolution of calligraphy art spans the ancient script period before the Qin dynasty, characterized by simple brushwork in “dazhuan” (large seal script), “xiaozhuan” (small seal script), and “guli” (ancient clerical script), with vertical brush strokes and uniform line thickness. It wasn’t until the early Han dynasty that Wang Cizhong introduced the technique of using side strokes and wrist movements to create the decorative “silkworm head and wild goose tail” strokes in clerical script, marking the beginning of a new era in calligraphy. As Sun Guoting’s “Shu Pu” states: “Since ancient times, the great calligraphers of the Han and Wei dynasties, such as Zhong Yao (regular script) and Zhang Zhi (modern cursive script), were unparalleled, and by the end of the Jin dynasty, the Two Wangs (Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, known for their cursive, running, and regular scripts) were celebrated for their excellence.” During Wang Xizhi’s time, calligraphy reached a peak in the Jin dynasty, and Wang Xizhi, revered as the “Sage of Calligraphy” for his masterpiece “Lanting Xu,” became the model for later generations to emulate.
II. Levels of Calligraphy
Chinese calligraphy, with its [multiple text structures (the creation of scripts for recording language), forms (the development of scripts driven by aesthetic needs), and the personal styles of calligraphers (the creation of unique, living characters with individual style and vitality)], has accumulated a rich artistic heritage over thousands of years. Calligraphers throughout history have used their techniques to find a stage for expressing their personal styles within the “script and style,” some solemn and serene, others delicate and elegant, still others powerful and dynamic, all inspiring admiration and collection.
Currently, when learning Chinese characters, teachers will instruct you to write according to the standardized stroke order and structure of the official regular script. However, if you apply this concept of “writing” to brush calligraphy using the modern “Eight Principles of Yong” with lifting and pressing techniques, it is considered “calligraphy” practice. However, as Wang Xizhi’s “Calligraphy Treatise” states: “If you use straight strokes and hurriedly pull the brush (i.e., lifting and pressing techniques), it may look like calligraphy at first glance, but upon closer inspection, it lacks strength.” This is still just writing, because calligraphy is a “comprehensive use of brush, ink, and technique” to express the “visual artistic beauty of the forms and lines of seal, clerical, cursive, running, and regular scripts.” This is why we will focus on “Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy aesthetics and techniques” in this course.
[Course Features]
1. Establishing the basic concepts of learning Chinese calligraphy.
2. Addressing modern calligraphy issues to inherit and verify the techniques and theories of the Sage of Calligraphy.
– In terms of brushwork: Modern calligraphy uses the “lifting and pressing” techniques of the “Eight Principles of Yong.” The Tang dynasty’s “Yutang Jinjing” records Zhang Xu’s brushwork as the “Eight Principles of Yong + Nine Brush Techniques,” involving wrist movements.
– In terms of character structure: Modern calligraphy uses the “National Character Stroke Classification Table + Stroke Order + Regular Script Structure.” Jin and Tang dynasty calligraphy emphasizes writing with brush momentum, forming characters in “two steps (brush momentum + wrapping),” resulting in unique characters.
3. Learning how to appreciate and critique calligraphy art.
– Developing an aesthetic sense of calligraphy: quality, strength, rhythm, cadence, and three-dimensionality.
4. Learning through calligraphy:
– The philosophical pursuit of “truth, goodness, and beauty,” starting with “seeking truth,” then advancing to “perfecting goodness and beauty.”
– Official regular script is neat and aesthetically pleasing, but it is merely “writing,” uniform across individuals. Learning Chinese calligraphy requires a holistic approach, setting clear goals, seeking truth in both theory and practice of “calligraphic technique and art,” and cultivating the “spirit of calligraphy” to ultimately express the artist’s unique style.
