Beginner's Study of Clerical Script

Author: He Tieshan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: This book can be summarized into four main points:
1. Reading the calligraphy. What I mean by reading calligraphy is not just reading the textual content, but also understanding the spatial structure of each character and the brushwork of each stroke, with the aim of grasping the author's ingenious design for every character.
2. Copying the calligraphy. Literally, it involves placing a thin sheet of paper over the calligraphy and tracing its characters according to their size and shape. The purpose is to achieve similarity in form and grasp the spatial structure.
3. Practicing with the calligraphy. This means placing the calligraphy on the left front of the desk, observing it while copying its shape with the brush, striving to achieve both form and spirit. Practicing with the calligraphy is the most important and essential method for learning calligraphy.
4. Cultivating skills beyond the characters. The Song Dynasty poet Lu You once said, "If you truly wish to learn poetry, the effort lies outside the poem." The same applies to learning calligraphy: effort lies beyond the characters. Historically, no great calligrapher has been a mere scholar. If we only learn calligraphy for the sake of learning it, even if our handwriting is excellent, we will only be a "calligrapher" at best. Even if someone calls us a "master" in a certain place, it will be like fleeting clouds and smoke, utterly untested by history.