On the morning of March 4th, the old tea shop in Tianjin held the "Tea File Inscription Famous Artist Elegant Collection Activity". Ma Mengjie at the event
Write 800 sheets, send 500 sheets
Author:Luo Wenhua.
I know a lot of friends from all over the country who like calligraphy. Chatting with them, I heard them mention several contemporary middle-aged calligraphers in Tianjin, such as Zhang Jianhui, Cui Hanbai, Wang Shuqiu, and Ma Mengjie. Because my information comes from different sources, this should be able to prove the true popularity of a calligrapher.
I asked Mr. Ma Mengjie why his calligraphy has a certain reputation in the country, whether he has any clever tricks or special connections. Ma Mengjie replied without thinking: "It's very simple, waste paper!" He pointed to the stacks of rice paper stacked in his study, which were more than half a person high, and said that he wrote dozens of sheets a day, at least 10,000 sheets a year. Looking at the stack of works he wrote next to him, it was more than half a person tall.
At that time, the Spring Festival was approaching, and Mr. Ma Mengjie told me that he was very busy these days, "to write 800 sheets and send 500 sheets". I asked him what the proportions and concepts were. He explained that every year on the eve of the Spring Festival, there are more friends who come to him to buy words, so he has to write 800 works, but 500 of them must be given to friends; Even if all 800 works were bought, he couldn't sell them all, and he had to make sure that the 500 were given away.
Write 800 sheets and give 500 sheets, which cannot but be said to be a calligrapher's brilliant wisdom in life; However, we have to admit that this is a noble wisdom.
I met Mr. Ma Mengjie in the 80s of the 20th century, when we were both young people in our twenties. In 1990, Ma Mengjie held his first calligraphy and painting exhibition, and I reported it in the newspaper. At that time, in order to concentrate on creation, he borrowed a corner of Bibo Village in the water park, which was not only used as a studio, but also lived there at night. At that time, the area around the water park and zoo was still relatively deserted, and the transportation was not convenient. When he sent me out of the park in the evening, the park was already quiet, and we walked on the dimly lit causeway, the shadows of the trees and the lake were also dark, and the tigers and wolves of the zoo were constantly heard in our ears, and from time to time one or two large birds of indistinct species passed by us, which was terrifying. It is in such an environment that Ma Mengjie writes and paints without distraction, and at the same time tempers his strong will.
Ma Mengjie (left) with Liu Jiandong, head of Tianjin Shuixiangzhou Art Center.
For more than 50 years, Mr. Ma Mengjie has studied literature, history and philosophy, and is especially obsessed with poetry and songs, so as to nourish calligraphy and painting. Whether it is his art enlightenment teacher Mr. Ji Zhenmin or his calligraphy teacher Mr. Ouyang Zhongshi, they all guide him to dialogue with the ancients and connect with the present on the basis of appreciating and understanding the essence of traditional culture. Ma Mengjie respects the trinity of poetry, calligraphy and painting, poetry is the soul, and books are the bones, swaying pride and ambition on the white rice paper, and dyeing the spirit of the times. He has traveled all over the country and has also gone abroad many times to participate in art exchanges, in order to realize his long-cherished wish of "reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles". He has written thousands of poems, published "Ma Mengjie's Poetry Anthology", and his representative works have also been included in the national poetry selection.
What is commendable is that Mr. Ma Mengjie is not "fashionable"The calligraphy style is **, insisting on exploring and perfecting their own calligraphy art, forming elastic and tense lines, cursive achievements are particularly prominent, and the personal style is very distinct. It is precisely because he is a family of his own that he can generate a high reputation among calligraphy lovers across the country.
When I was 22 years old, I wrote an article in the supplement of "Tonight News" to appreciate this long poem, and Mr. Ma Mengjie wrote this poem with more than 70 lines and more than 500 words countless times. Last year, at my request, Mr. Ma Mengjie once again painstakingly wrote this poem with an entire album. Scroll view, the edge rises and falls, the ink gathers and the ink scatters, the pen walks the dragon and snake, the water gushes the flat river, the tone is frustrated, the deification is endless, and the calligraphy and poetry have reached a perfect fit.
In 1992, more than 100 of Ma Mengjie's works were sold out for an exhibition in Haikou, and since then he has embarked on the road of professional calligrapher and painter. On the first day of 2015, Ma Mengjie held a "Fu" activity in Times Square, Manhattan, New York, USA. From this point of view, Ma Mengjie's "write 800 sheets, give 500 sheets" is by no means braggadocio or self-restraint, but a successful artist's performance with great confidence and groundedness.
Ma Mengjie's huge work "Tianjin Fu".
Huajia reopened the school art road, and life smiled at the new sunny life. Pingchou looks far away and has a strong heart, turning into a vast bird and thousands of miles. I believe that these poems written by Mr. Ma Mengjie in his sixtieth year are enough to mobilize the sense of achievement and future self-confidence of many middle-aged and elderly friends.
This article was published in the March 4, 2024 issue of the Middle-aged and Elderly Times-Supplement