Xu Baoxun teaches regular script: Liu style

Author: Xu Baoxun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-01-01
Features: In the history of world civilizations, the unique art that uses writing as its subject has only been the Chinese calligraphy, which has a long-standing tradition and is rich in diversity. Those strings of shining artistic masterpieces continue to inspire our spirit of the times. In ancient times, the character "shu" had both the meanings of writing and calligraphy: writing clearly and correctly for practical communication, while calligraphy met people's aesthetic needs. Pictographs are the foundation of Chinese character construction, but as history evolved, Chinese characters became increasingly abstract and symbolic. Interestingly, the richness of Chinese character forms and the variety of lines have created a vast space for the art of calligraphy. According to Guo Moruo's research, "consciously treating writing as an art or making the characters themselves artistic and decorative began in the late Spring and Autumn period." Today, the art of calligraphy is still revered and loved, becoming the art of the masses, and this is inseparable from its gradual transition from the practical use of characters. Understanding this background, people will realize that learning calligraphy and practicing good handwriting has become a lifelong learning course for Chinese people from childhood to old age. Of course, this is also the reason why our publishing house has been continuously planning and publishing teaching materials for calligraphy lovers.
Learning calligraphy has several stages. During the initial learning phase, accurately grasping the knowledge of writing skills is crucial. In traditional teaching, methods like holding the brush, manipulating the brush, and the roles and relationships of fingers, wrist, elbow, and shoulder were often described in text. Even with some illustrations, it was difficult to accurately depict the precise positioning during writing movements. For example, when practicing different calligraphic styles, traditional teaching methods mostly involved "double-hooking" and "red tracing," relying more on self-experience. The ancients said, "Calligraphy is about the use of the brush." Traditional learning models often cause self-learners to spend excessive effort pondering and exploring writing methods without success, leading many to lose interest in learning. Others fail to grasp the key points of brushwork and, after long-term practice, develop bad habits, becoming discouraged and disheartened.
Today, the "Master Calligraphers' Tutoring Series" planned and published by Shanghai People's Fine Arts Publishing House is in response to the demands of calligraphy enthusiasts. It combines the learning of calligraphy with advanced methods of modern education, linking book content with audio-visual teaching. Calligraphy learners at home can achieve the same effect as being in a classroom. The publisher has specially invited renowned calligraphers to provide tutoring. They not only help learners with in-depth and easy-to-understand artistic knowledge but, more importantly, demonstrate writing techniques through their own practice, allowing learners to repeatedly observe and progress step by step, truly achieving effective learning results.
We hope that the creativity of this series will be well-received by readers, helping them quickly grasp the key points and difficulties of the initial learning stage, avoid detours, improve their writing skills, and develop a deeper love for the art of calligraphy.