Ma Yifu

Author: Ma Yifu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Since the birth of Chinese characters, calligraphy has existed in China. Humans have always created the world according to aesthetic principles since the beginning. Ancient oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions left behind an unparalleled beauty due to their unique material conditions and brushwork structures. Later generations' pursuit of calligraphic beauty became conscious, infusing artistic elements that predecessors had not, but this did not always mean continuous transcendence, nor could it be a comprehensive one. Due to the inherent characteristics of calligraphic art, evaluations of calligraphy have often relied on overly abstract and uncertain terms. This can even be said to be related to the ambiguity in Chinese linguistic habits, but it is also inseparable from the abstract nature of Chinese calligraphy. Additionally, traditional calligraphy history tends to focus on master-disciple relationships when discussing specific schools or styles. While discussing master-disciple relationships is necessary, it sometimes becomes overly simplistic, falling into linear thinking patterns. In terms of its practical significance, it can inadvertently constrain creative consciousness. We should strive to study artists and their works from multiple perspectives, doing better than the ancients in this regard. We should view the entire activities of a specific calligrapher as an manifestation of both the social essence and the essence of calligraphy. Contemporary calligraphy has entered a historically unprecedented situation. On one hand, material conditions have changed the writing conditions on which calligraphy relies for existence. On the other hand, calligraphy has flourished within a limited scope, stubbornly surviving. Our stance undoubtedly should be that of a proponent of calligraphic prosperity. Contemporary calligraphers, facing the dilemmas of engaging with the times and exploring the future, seek inspiration from theoretical and historical research. This inevitably gives calligraphy history a contemporary nature. It does not involve arbitrary of history but rather summarizes patterns from the past, seeking new life and new vitality.