Calligrapher's essential for brushwork

Author: Xiong Fengming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Every time I talk with friends and enthusiasts in the field of calligraphy and painting, I often hear the wish for a comprehensive and selective toolbook that collects outstanding quotes and couplets from generations, good poems, and fine couplets for reference during writing sessions. I thought compiling such a book would be a meaningful endeavor. Under the encouragement of my colleagues, I took action. Traditional culture is a vast treasure trove, and the classic texts through the ages are as boundless as the sea. To select broadly and compile meticulously while ensuring portability for the writers was indeed challenging at the outset. Fortunately, with timely assistance from individuals like Zhou Zhigao and Liu Xiaqing, who provided a wealth of domestic and international materials for reference, my selections of "selective" and "extensive" became more thorough and well-rounded. Additionally, considering the needs of calligraphers and painters, I incorporated inscriptions and quoted verses by scholars from past generations, which perhaps added some unique charm.
Whenever I converse with friends and enthusiasts in the calligraphy and painting community, they often express the desire for a toolbook that compiles both refined and extensive collections of famous quotes, exquisite couplets, and poetry throughout history, to serve as a handy reference during impromptu artistic endeavors. I believed compiling such a book would be a highly meaningful endeavor, and with the encouragement of my colleagues, I embarked on this task. Traditional culture represents a monumental repository, with the classics spanning generations being as vast as the ocean. To achieve both breadth in selection and precision in compilation, while also ensuring the book is portable for artists, posed a considerable challenge at the outset. Fortunately, timely support from individuals like Zhou Zhigao and Liu Xiaqing, who provided a wealth of domestic and international materials for reference, allowed my selections of "selective" and "extensive" to be more comprehensive and deliberate. Furthermore, taking into account the needs of calligraphers and painters, I included inscriptions and quoted verses from scholars of past eras, which likely added an element of uniqueness.