There is a saying in the calligraphy world that the art of calligraphy includes two parts: the internal skill of the character and the study of the outside of the character (outside the art), which may be listed below
"Character internal skills", that is, the techniques and basic knowledge directly related to calligraphy, that is, the brushwork (including ink method), structure, chapter method (i.e., layout) and the corresponding basic knowledge. For example, the essentials of penmanship and the general situation of teaching, the knowledge of inscriptions, calligraphy and genres, etc., among which penmanship is the core, which is a lifelong pursuit of calligraphers. When we talk about basic skills, we mean penmanship. If the penmanship is solved, the structure and layout will be easily solved, and it will be easier to solve. In terms of artistic effect, the brushwork is good but the structure and layout are slightly poor, but it is also dazzling and dazzling, and you will never get tired of looking at it. On the contrary, the penmanship is not good, although the structure and layout are exquisitely good-looking, it is just a fist embroidered legs, and what cannot stand the test will only be short-lived. However, penmanship cannot be solved only by immersing oneself in hard practice, but also depends on the study of extra-character skills (extra-artistic skills) to work.
"Outside the word" can be summarized by four words: morality, talent, learning, and literacy. To put it superficially, it means that those who are engaged in the art of calligraphy must have calligraphy, calligraphy, calligraphy, and knowledge. "Virtue" refers to character or calligraphy, which is the essence that calligraphers must first have, and it is a major festival to maintain in life. "Talent" refers to a person's talent, temperament, including comprehension, acceptance, wit, decisiveness, courage, pioneering courage and other attributes. The scope of "learning" is very wide, and in a narrower way, it is also the knowledge of literature, history, and philosophy. It is advisable to start with those who are closely related to the art of calligraphy. Such as Chinese (including modern and ancient), primary school (philology, phonology, exegesis), sister arts (**painting, seal carving, sculpture, dance, drama, etc.).
Secondly, it is necessary to study philosophy (especially the philosophical schools of the pre-Qin period) and foreign schools. And then there's the aesthetics. If you have more energy, you will develop into other disciplines. "Knowledge" means to have a global vision, to understand the trend of the times and the trend of calligraphy art. This is not something that can be solved by reading books alone, but should also start from the following three aspects:
1) Care about book activities. Get acquainted with calligraphy enthusiasts, exchange experiences with each other, and learn from each other; Read relevant publications frequently to keep abreast of the trends in the calligraphy world at home and abroad.
2) Combination of theory and practice. Calligraphy theory, copying inscriptions, etc., are still book knowledge, and should also be widely read to broaden horizons. You can start with the local area, and you may wish to borrow the collection between friends and friends; Local good rock carvings, libraries, and museums should be browsed; The calligraphy exhibition should be participated in as much as possible, and the local masters and famous seniors should ask for more advice, and the harvest will be great. Secondly, it is necessary to travel purposefully, to visit the real thing, to investigate in depth, and to feel it much more deeply than what is seen in the printed version. The English philosopher Bacon said in his essay "On Reading": "Reading is enough to make up for the lack of endowment, and practice is ...... to make up for the lack of reading."As shown in the book, if you don't use practice to verify it, you will be too big and too little. Dong Qichang, a master of calligraphy and painting in the Ming Dynasty, said: "Read 10,000 books and travel 10,000 miles." "It's all good teaching. Xi'an Forest of Steles, Qufu Confucius Temple, Luoyang Longmen, Shaanxi Zhaoling, these four places are the famous places where the art of stone carving and calligraphy is concentrated in our country, and they must be viewed. In addition, all tourist attractions have calligraphy relics, and they should also be enjoyed as much as possible. Everywhere the tour goes. If you have a good collection from local masters and museums, you should not lose the opportunity to consult and enjoy.
3) Teach nature. Learning from nature is a part of the lives of our philosophers and literary masters. Visiting a tourist attraction is an education in itself, and everywhere you go, there are always local heroes who can ask for help, or the victories and character models left in history, which are education for yourself. In addition, the natural landscapes such as mountains and rivers, scenic spots, buildings, ancient trees, or vast lakes and seas, or strange peaks and gorges with mountains and mountains are overwhelmed and impressed by their momentum, and then take their image and essence; Some learn consciously, and some are subconsciously influenced by it. Confucius stood out in this respect, and he traveled all over the world, and he studied everything he saw along the way. For example, "the year is cold, and then the pine and cypress are withered". He learned that the shore of the pine and ancient cypress was upright, and he had an arrogant backbone, so when the trees withered, it was still so verdant and towering; And "the son said on the river: 'The deceased is like a husband, and he is reluctant to give up day and night.'" He saw the surging Yellow River, which never stopped, washing away the filth and moistening the earth. Or like: "What a word! At four o'clock, all things are born, what can the sky say! "He took the heavens (universe) as his teacher, learned its subtlety, cultivated the spirit of sentient beings, and so on.
Zhang Jiuling, the prime minister of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, said that after being demoted back to Beijing, the style of poetry changed greatly, and people said that he was helped by mountains and rivers. Man is an animal of the environment and cannot be separated from the surrounding influences. For example, when we see a large area of the Loess Plateau in the northwest, the Gobi Desert and the vast desert, the inspiration to people is not to retreat, but to see the outstanding perseverance of our ancestors, who can create a brilliant Chinese culture in such a difficult environment, and naturally miss the martyrs such as Zhang Qian, Su Wu, Fu Jiezi and Ban Chao, and inspire more courage and perseverance. These are said in terms of cultivating temperament.
In addition, most of the predecessors of calligraphy have been inspired by nature and life to understand penmanship and aesthetics. To put it more comprehensively, Li Yangbing's "Doctor Li on the Ancient Seal Book": "In the heavens, the earth, the mountains and rivers, it is common to have a square circle; In the sun, moon and stars, the degree of longitude and latitude is returned; In the clouds and grasses, the appearance of the cloth is grown; In the well-dressed cultural relics, you have to let go of the circumferential body; In the eyebrows, mouth and nose, it is divided into joy and anger; In insects, fish, birds and beasts, the principle of bending and stretching and flying; In the bone horn teeth, you have to position the chewing momentum. Whatever you want. Han Yu said about Zhang Xu's calligraphy in the "Preface to Sending the Master of High Leisure": "Looking at things, seeing mountains, rivers, cliffs and valleys, birds, beasts, fish and insects, flowers and trees, the sun and the moon and the stars, wind and rain, water and fire, thunder and thunder, singing and dancing battles, and the changes of heaven and earth, are gratifying and stunned, and they are all in the book." "Another example is that Huai Su saw the changeability of Xia Yun and felt the importance of calligraphy seeking innovation; Zhang Xu saw the snake fighting and realized the gesture of cursive; Zhang Xu described the scene of Lu Cambodia on the sandy shore in autumn, Su Dongpo saw the boat people supporting the boat against the water, and the Three Gorges of the Yellow Valley saw the long-term rowing of oars and learned the brushwork; Song Lei Xingjian smelled the rising water on the boat, and got the pen; Xian Yu pivoted on the slippery mud slope to see the repeated efforts of the car puller to pull the car up, and realized the essentials of the pen ......It's hard to read the book. Today, we are in a better position to draw inferences from others and draw inspiration from nature and daily life that is helpful for calligraphy.
If you don't have the opportunity to travel far away, you can also experience beneficial feelings near your residence. But you have to get out of the study room and into life, into nature. Some people think that practicing calligraphy is writing, and it is better to paint and sketch, so they write over and over again on the bookcase in the study, refusing to go out of the room, let alone going to life, always within that small circle, and they can't get good benefits.
Through the cultivation and complementarity of the outside of the word and the internal skills of the word, we will be able to achieve good results in the art of calligraphy. The above discussion can be summarized as the word "nourishing qi", and everyone has a deep understanding.