Mr. Yu Youren firmly believes that the beauty of calligraphy does not lie in the pursuit of external beauty, but in respecting nature and maintaining the inner essence of calligraphy. This view of his may seem at odds with the emphasis on calligraphy training that valued the precision and structure of strokes, but his calligraphic achievements and spirit had a profound impact on later generations.
Mr. Yu Youren's research on cursive writing in the past dynasties and the creation of works such as "Cursive Monthly" and "Standard Cursive" thousand-character text are his persistent pursuit of the beauty of natural calligraphy.
Although there are some calligraphy enthusiasts who appreciate the exaggerated style of the work, this is far from Mr. Yu's concept of "nature". So, where is the real beauty of calligraphy?
What kind of calligraphy beauty does Mr. Yu Youren pursue? Let's explore this question together.
Yu Youren: Interesting Model Mr. Yu Youren, the first interesting model of the period, advocates that calligraphy should follow nature rather than just pursue beauty. He and the famous Chinese painting master Zhang Daqian and the student calligrapher and painter Liu Yantao are called "beautiful bearded princes", all three of them have beards, and they walk freely.
He founded Fudan University, Shanghai University and other schools, excelled in cursive, and once negotiated poetry with great men in Chongqing. In addition, he is also a food lover, who loves garlic and chili peppers, and travels all over the world, leaving a mark on the restaurant.
His ink treasure not only adds the finishing touch, but also supports the survival of many century-old shops. Mr. Yu Youren's calligraphy art can be divided into two periods: the first period, based on a large number of Wei monuments, he created a strong personality of the regular script; In the second period, he created the standard cursive script.
The Wei Ti collected by Mr. Yu Youren is one of the most famous inscriptions in Chinese history, and these legacies have left us countless traditional calligraphy works, making us full of respect for the accumulated achievements of the ancients.
Calligraphers usually learn regular script by observing and copying the inscriptions of the ancients, which is also the starting point of Mr. Yu Youren.
The style of the Northern Wei Dynasty inscription is unique and charming, full of majestic and broad momentum. Since the Qing Dynasty, people's research on inscriptions has gradually increased, and calligraphy combining inscriptions and inscriptions has gradually emerged.
In the ** period, this style reached a new peak, among which, Yu Youren's regular script is particularly eye-catching. Yu Youren's regular script is numerous, and his attainments are profound.
Although the predecessors had also tried the method of combining tablets and posters to write regular scripts, Yu Youren really pushed this combination to maturity. In his second period after the age of 53, he founded the Standard Cursive, based on an in-depth study of the vast works of his predecessors.
In order to create the "Standard Cursive", Yu Youren extensively collected the cursive works of his predecessors, selected the best characters from them, and compiled the "Standard Cursive Thousand Character Script".
His regular script inscription style is diverse, gathering the strengths of all families, which is not only full of the majesty of the tablet, but also integrated into the delicacy of the post. This is his perfect interpretation of the regular script combined with inscriptions and posts, and it is also his unique contribution to the art of calligraphy.
In the past, ** works often overemphasized their "crazy" characteristics, in order to pursue the aesthetic effect and cater to the form of cursive, and even some works called themselves "cursive" after waving at will.
In contrast, Mr. Yu Youren advocated simplifying cursive to the point where it could no longer be simplified. The more than 100 cursive Chinese characters simplified in his book are very similar to the simplified characters promulgated in China.
Is there a standard for cursive writing?There is no absolute standard other than the conventional law. If you write exactly according to a set of rules, you can lose the unique spirit of the work.
However, after in-depth research on a large number of cursive works, Mr. Yu Youren extracted the basic characteristics of cursive writing, extracted the essence from them, and classified and summarized the structure and form of cursive writing.
For starters, these summaries provide them with a great guide to get started.
Mr. Yu Youren's cursive script is not only a practical font, but also a way to express one's personality. Cursive penmanship, structure, and chapter writing all have their own unique features, and they are deeply reflected in the writer's temperament.
Cursive script initially broke with the traditional official script, and later gradually evolved into a simplified form of gesture implication and side borrowing, which was called "imakusa". In the Tang Dynasty, cursive writing reached its peak, and many excellent cursive works appeared.
On the basis of the combination of inscriptions and posts, Zhang Xu** integrates the characteristics of seals, grass and Wei Zhen, and also imprints the calligraphy of the Qin and Han dynasties and the two Jin dynasties.
Compared with other cursive works, Yu Youren's cursive script is more simple, each character exists independently, but the whole layout is still comfortable. His works are sometimes full of charm and delicateness, and sometimes they show a majestic atmosphere.
Compared with other cursive works, Yu Youren's calligraphy is clearer and cleaner, and easy to read. We cannot ignore the existence of the ancients, nor can we be completely confined to the ancients.
Yu Youren's cursive calligraphy brings together the classic elements of traditional calligraphy, drawing inspiration from celebrity inkblots, and finally forming a unique and charming style.
The beauty of calligraphy is a noble art. What kind of words are beautiful? A neat student answer sheet can make people's eyes shine; In an exhibition frame, the delicate and dignified handwriting can attract people's attention the most; The ground of the park's morning dew and the majestic handwriting make people stop**; The old plaque of the new venue, the inscription of the calligrapher still shines brightly.
Calligraphy is deeply embedded in our lives. Chinese calligraphy has a long history, and the calligraphers and works of the past generations have been inherited in the same line, making the calligraphy system rich and complete. From seal script, official script, cursive script, regular script to line script, the calligraphy works at each font development stage are as many as the stars, each with its own characteristics and beauty.
In the long history of the development of calligraphy, the current pursuit of uniform cloth and balanced structure of the calligraphy is more neat and comfortable, but this aesthetic trend has gradually become a consensus after the Jin and Tang dynasties.
In other words, most of the calligraphy works before the Jin and Tang dynasties did not achieve uniform white cloth and balanced structure. Some scholars have pointed out that the pursuit of beauty in calligraphy lies in the combination of form and sense, "if you fly, if you move, if you get up and if you lie down", it emphasizes the distinctive personality of the author, the vivid image of the work and the height of the realm of the work after the use of form.
Today, after thousands of years of development of language and writing, from the selection of writing tools, to neat and stable writing, and smooth pen movement, it is possible for all countries and nationalities in the world to do it, but only the writing of Chinese characters is recognized as "calligraphy art".
The reason why Chinese character writing has become the "art of calligraphy" and why it is noble is not only because of its vivid image, but also because it reflects the skill and inner cultivation of the author.
Translating the sense of dynamism in the art of calligraphy into other realms is perhaps a common feeling we share when appreciating all kinds of things related to beauty. However, without expertise or in-depth research, it's hard to tell what makes a work more appealing.
If we pursue rational analysis too much, we may destroy the beauty of appreciation. Works that lack cultural heritage are often not comparable to good works.
Scholars believe that the key to the survival of traditional Chinese calligraphy is that calligraphers innovate while inheriting traditions. This kind of innovation is not the pursuit of unconventionality, but on the basis of a deep understanding of the classic works of predecessors, gradually forming its own style.
Calligraphy, in addition to allowing you to write a good hand, can also improve your inner cultivation. The study of calligraphy is not only to master calligraphy skills, but also to influence your temperament, conversation, temperament and aesthetics in the precipitation of history, so that you become calm.
We can't be proficient in all areas at the same time, but calligraphy can become our hobby. Let's stay in awe and incorporate calligraphy into our lives, whether it's busy work or leisure time.