Calligraphy occupies a unique place in the hearts of Chinese, it is a unique art form in China, which is very different from **, poetry, and dance. Even though the brush has faded out of daily life and study, the charm of calligraphy still fascinates people.
Even people who don't know anything about calligraphy will be in awe at the mention of a calligrapher's name. Zeng Xiang is such a calligrapher, although he is young, born in the late 50s, and naturally not as famous as old-timers like Qi Gong and Ouyang Zhongshi, but just mentioning his position is enough to make people marvel: he served as the director of the office of the China Calligraphy Court and the director of the exhibition hall of the China Calligraphy Court, two positions that carry the most weight among the many titles.
In addition, he also serves as a distinguished professor at 16 universities, including Peking University, Tsinghua University, and ** Academy of Fine Arts.
Zeng Xiang, a native of Suizhou, Hubei Province, is deeply concerned about the epidemic in his hometown. In order to express his blessings and cheer for the front-line anti-epidemic work, he specially created a calligraphy "Guanyin Sutra".
As he wrote on the inscription: "Guanyin Sutra" Gengzi Xin is this to eliminate the epidemic and eliminate disasters. However, the sincerity of this calligrapher has aroused questions from some netizens.
The questioning mainly focuses on two aspects: one is about the content of the work, and the other is about the form of expression of the work.
The Kannon Sutra is an important Buddhist scripture with the content of the Myoho-renge-kyo Sutra. Mr. Zeng Xiang selected the most wonderful chapters from it, and this book tells the teachings of Shakyamuni in his later years, emphasizing that everyone can become a Buddha, regardless of whether they are rich or poor.
The most well-known story about this book is that Wang Xuanmo, a general in the Liu and Song dynasties, was executed after his defeat, but he received guidance from a god in a dream, and after reciting it a thousand times, he miraculously avoided death.
Mr. Zeng Xiang may also hope to express that everyone has contributed their own strength in the fight against the epidemic and has the ability to stay away from the disease in good health. However, some netizens disagreed, believing that the key to fighting the epidemic lies in scientific means and the belief of medical workers.
Although the Guanyin Sutra exhorts people to do good, it may not be the most appropriate choice in the current situation.
There is a lot of controversy about the form of calligraphy. For example, Zeng Xiang's works have been criticized by many calligraphy enthusiasts as "ugly books". In Chinese history, there is no such concept, which is a word that has emerged on the Internet in recent years, in short, calligraphy that does not look very beautiful.
Of course, some people will say that everyone's aesthetic is different, and there is no clear definition to judge the beauty and ugliness of calligraphy. In fact, in the past, calligraphy was mainly divided into elegance and vulgarity, or it could be judged by the level of style, exquisite or mediocre technique, and rarely directly said beauty and ugliness.
However, there are some calligraphy works that are beyond the scope of ordinary people's cognition and evaluation, and cannot be distinguished by elegance and vulgarity, which is what we call "ugly calligraphy". Some famous calligraphers have a critical attitude towards ugly calligraphy, believing that it lacks law, empty talk about skills and ideas, and the cultural connotation, artistic height and individual innovation are all empty.
Zeng Xiang's "Guanyin Sutra" changed the solemnity and solemnity of the traditional Guanyin Sutra, showing a unique calligraphy style, which was regarded as an ugly book by some people. However, this is not a whim, but an innovation and challenge to the form of calligraphy, and some even consider him to be a representative of contemporary ugly calligraphy.
In fact, Mr. Zeng Xiang has a profound calligraphy skills, he has studied under Wang Ren, Liu Bingsen, Shen Peng and other famous masters, good at a variety of fonts, especially in the grass attainments, his works are quiet and handsome, full of fun and scattered.
Mr. Zeng Xiang's works have been ranked first in the country.
He won the first prize in the 7th and 8th Young and Middle-aged Calligraphy and Seal Carving Exhibitions, and was selected as the "Most Influential in Chinese Contemporary Calligraphy - 20 Nomination Exhibitions of Chinese Contemporary Calligraphy" for five consecutive years.
Zeng Xiang, however, has gone further and further down the path of challenging the norm, and his supporters believe that he has an "amazing spirit of innovation and a variety of expressions". He firmly believes that "artistic creation should not be conformist, but must be unique." ”