书法介绍(英文版)CalligraphyIntroduction

1、刑勺9知兀產芥比黑CalligraphyCalligraphyisunderstoodinChinaastheartofwritingagoodhandwiththebrushorthestudyoftherulesandtechniquesofthisart.AssuchitispeculiartoChinaandthefewcountriesinfluencedbyancientChineseculture.InthehistoryofChineseart,calligraphyhasalwaysbeenheldinequalimportancetopainting.Greatattent

2、ionisalsopaidtodaytoitsdevelopmentbyholdingexhibitionsofancientandcontemporaryworksandbyorganizingcompetitionsamongyoungstersandpeoplefromvariouswalksoflife.SharingofexperienceinthisfieldoftenmakesafeatureinSino-Japaneseculturalexchange.Chinesecalligraphy,likethescriptitself,beganwiththehieroglyphsa

3、nd,overthelongagesofevolution,hasdevelopedvariousstylesandschools,constitutinganimportantpartoftheheritageofnationalculture.ClassificationChinesescriptsaregenerallydividedintofivecategories:Thesealcharacter(zhuan),theofficialorclericalscript(li),theregularscript(kai),therunninghand(xing)andthecursiv

4、ehand(cao).Thezhuanscriptorsealcharacterwastheearliestformofwritingaftertheoracleinscriptions,whichmusthavecausedgreatinconveniencebecausetheylackeduniformityandmanycharacterswerewritteninvariantforms.Thefirsteffortfortheunificationofwriting,itissaid,tookplaceduringthereignofKingXuan(827-782B.C.)oft

5、heWesternZhouDynasty,whenhistaishi(grandhistorian)ShiZhoucompiledalexiconof15chapters,standardizingChinesewritingunderscriptcalledzhuan.Itisalsoknownaszhouwenafterthenameoftheauthor.Thisscript,oftenusedinseals,istranslatedintoEnglishasthesealcharacter,orasthecurlyscriptaftertheshapeofitsstrokes.ShiZ

6、houslexicon(whichsomethoughtwaswrittenbyalaterauthorofthestateofQin)hadlongbeenlost,yetitisgenerallyagreedthattheinscriptionsonthedrum-shapedQinstoneblockswerebasicallyofthesamestyleastheoldzhuanscript.When,in221B.C.,EmperorQinShiHuangunifiedthewholeofChinaunderonecentralgovernment,heorderedhisPrime

7、MinisterLiSitocollectandsortoutallthedifferentsystemsofwritinghithertoprevalentindifferentpartsofthecountryinagreatefforttounifythewrittenlanguageunderonesystem.WhatLidid,ineffect,wastosimplifytheancientzhuan(smallseal)script.TodaywehaveamostvaluablerelicofthisancientwritinginthecreatorLiSisownhande

8、ngravedonastelestandingintheTempletotheGodofTaishanMountaininShandongProvince.The2,200-year-oldstele,wornbyageandweather,hasonlynineandahalfcharactersleftonit.Thelishu(officialscript)cameinthewakeofthexiaozhuaninthesameshort-livedQinDynasty(221-207B.C.).Thiswasbecausethexiaozhuan,thoughasimplifiedfo

9、rmofscript,wasstilltoocomplicatedforthescribesinthevariousgovernmentofficeswhohadtocopyanincreasingamountofdocuments.ChengMiao,aprisonwarden,madeafurthersimplificationofthexiaozhuan,changingthecurlystrokesintostraightandangularonesandthusmakingwritingmucheasier.Afurtherstepawayfromthepictographs,itw

10、asnamedlishubecauseliinclassicalChinesemeantclerkorscribe.AnotherversionsaysthatChengMiao,becauseofcertainoffence,becameaprisonerandslavehimself;astheancientsalsocalledboundslavesli,sothescriptwasnamedlishuorthescriptofaslave.Thelishuwasalreadyverycloseto,andledtotheadoptionof,kaishu,regularscript.T

11、heoldestexistingexampleofthisdatesfromtheWei(220-265),andthescriptdevelopedundertheJin(265-420).Thestandardwritingtodayissquareinform,non-cursiveandarchitecturalinstyle.Thecharactersarecomposedofanumberofstrokesoutofatotalofeightkinds-thedot,thehorizontal,thevertical,thehook,therising,theleft-fallin

12、g(shortandlong)andtheright-fallingstrokes.Anyaspirantforthestatusofcalligraphermuststartbylearningtowriteagoodhandinkaishu.Onthebasisoflishualsoevolvedcaoshu(grasswritingorcursivehand),whichisrapidandusedformakingquickbutroughcopies.Thisstyleissubdividedintotwoschools:zhangcaoandjincao.Thefirstofthe

13、seemergedatthetimetheQinwasreplacedbytheHanDynastybetweenthe3rdand2ndcenturiesB.C.Thecharacters,thoughwrittenrapidly,stillstandseparateonefromanotherandthedotsarenotlinkedupwithotherstrokes.JincaoorthemoderncursivehandissaidtohavebeendevelopedbyZhangZhi(?-c.192A.D.)oftheEasternHanDynasty,flourishedi

14、ntheJinandTangdynastiesandisstillwidelypopulartoday.Itistheessenceofthecaoshu,especiallyjincao,thatthecharactersareexecutedswiftlywiththestrokesrunningtogether.Thecharactersareoftenjoinedup,withthelaststrokeofthefirstmergingintotheinitialstrokeofthenext.Theyalsovaryinsizeinthesamepieceofwriting,alls

15、eeminglydictatedbythewhimsofthewriter.AgreatmasteratcaoshuwasZhangXu(early8thcentury)oftheTangDynasty,notedforthecompleteabandonwithwhichheappliedthebrush.Itissaidthathewouldnotsetaboutwritinguntilhehadgotdrunk.Thishedid,allowingthebrushtogallopacrossthepaper,curling,twistingormeanderinginoneunbroke

16、nstroke,thuscreatinganoriginalstyle.Todayonemaystillseefragmentsofastelecarvedwithcharactersinhishandwriting,keptintheProvincialMuseumofShaanxi.Thebestexampleandmodelforxingshu,allChinesecalligrapherswillagree,istheInscriptiononLantingPavilioninthehandofWangXizhi(321-379)oftheEasternJinDynasty.Tolea

17、rntowriteanicehandinChinesecalligraphy,assiduousandperseveringpracticeisnecessary.ThishasbeenborneoutbythemanygreatmastersChinahasproduced.WangXizhi,thegreatartistjustmentioned,whohasexertedaprofoundinfluenceon,andhasbeenheldinhighesteemby,calligraphersandscholarsthroughouthistory,issaidtohaveblacke

18、nedinhischildhoodallthewaterofapondinfrontofhishousebywashingthewritingimplementsinitafterhisdailyexercises.Anothermaster,MonkZhiyongoftheSuiDynasty(581-618)wassoindustriousinlearningcalligraphythathefilledmanyjarswithworn-outwritingbrushes,whichheburiedinatombofbrushes.Renewedinterestinbrush-writin

19、ghasbeenkindledtodayamongthepupilsinChina,someofwhomalreadyshowpromisesasworthysuccessorstotheancientmasters.FourTreasuresoftheStudyToproduceChinesecharactersonewillneedabrush,paper,inkstickandinkstone,commonlyreferredtoastheFourTreasuresoftheStudy.Tolearncalligraphy,itisnecessarytolearnabouttheseto

20、ols.Whilebrushesarevaried,white-goat-hair,black-rabbit-hairandyellow-weasel-hairbrushesarethemainones.Onthebasisoffunction,brushesareclassifiedintothreegroups:hard,softandboth.Brushhandlesareusuallymadeofbamboo,wood,lacquerorporcelain;ivoryorjadehandlesarerareandprecious.Theinkstickisauniquepigmentu

21、sedforChinesetraditionalpaintingandcalligraphy.Themostfamousinkstickishuimo(Anhuiinkstick),madeofpinesthatgrowonHuangshanMountaininAnhuiProvince.Cleanwaterisneededtogrindtheinkstick,whichmustbebalancedinthehandduringthegrindingorrubbingprocess.Presshardandrublightly,slowlyandevenlyagainsttheinkslabu

22、ntilathick,liquid-inkforms.PaperwasinventedbyCaiLunintheEasternHanDynasty(25-220).Whilepapercomesinmanyvarieties,Xuanpaper,producedintheJingPrefectureofXuanzhou(todaysAnhuiProvince),isconsideredthebestforChinesecalligraphy.Thepaperissoftandfinetextured,suitableforconveyingtheartisticexpressionofboth

23、Chinesecalligraphyandpainting.Withagoodtensilestrengthandmothproofquality,thepapercanbepreservedforalongtime.Inkstonesorinkslabshavebeenclassifiedintothreecategories:Duan,SheandTao.Featurescommontoallthreeinkslabsarethestoneshardnessandfineness.Althoughthestoneishardandfine,itisnotdryorslippery.Usin

24、gahard,smoothstone,liquidinkcanbeproducedeasilybyrubbingtheinkstickagainstthestone.Bycontrollingtheflexibilityofthebrush,theconcentrationoftheinkandtheabsorbencyofthepaper,theartistcanproduceaninfinitevarietyofcalligraphicstylesandforms.Calligraphy:LeaderofAllArtFormsFewnationsintheworldhavecalligra

25、phyasaformofart.InChina,calligraphyhasmaintainedacloserapportwiththecountrysculturaldevelopment.Calligraphyisanexpressiveart.AccordingtoanoldChinesesaying,thewaycharactersarewrittenisaportraitofthepersonwhowritesthem.Expressingtheabstractbeautyoflinesandrhythms,calligraphyisareflectionofapersonsemot

26、ions,moralintegrity,character,educationallevel,accomplishmentsinself-cultivation,intellectualtastesandapproachtolife.Chinesecharacters,whichconveyideas,areregardedasthemostabstractandsublimeartform.Calligraphyisalsoapracticalfineart.Exoticcalligraphicinscriptionswrittenonpaper,woodenplaquesorstonetabletsserveasdecorationsofadeepartisticvalue.CalligraphymanifeststhebasiccharacteristicsofallC