Calligraphy Clinic: Critiques of Works by Calligraphers of the 20th Century

Author: Wang Daoyun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-06
Features: In the primitive, ignorant period of China, ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and the cave dwellings of the Native Americans, all featured patterns of strokes carved into stone. However, it was only in China that these patterns evolved into pictographic graphic characters, which then led to the art of Chinese characters. From then on, Chinese characters embarked on their artistic journey, taking their first stumbling steps. Through the vast expanse of time and the boundless sea of art, the development of calligraphy is like the mighty Yangtze River—sometimes surging, sometimes wandering, sometimes clearing the muddiness, and sometimes carrying the clarity. Along the way, it has gone through the evolution of oracle bone script, bronze inscriptions, small seal script, ancient clerical script, clerical script, cursive script, running script, and regular script. By this point, all styles are complete, and all beauties have been achieved. In each historical period, calligraphers have created the brilliance of calligraphy of their time, giving rise to stars of calligraphers as brilliant as the night sky. The tide of history has washed away the weak, and after two thousand years of, only a few calligraphers have left their names in history. In the Wei Dynasty, there were Zhong Yao and Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi; in the Jin Dynasty, there were Yu Shilin, Ouyang Xun, Chu Suiliang, Li Yong, Zhang Xu, Huaisu, Yan Zhenqing, and Liu Gongquan; in the Song Dynasty, there were Su Shi, Huang Shangyu, Mi Fu, and Cai Xiang; in the Yuan Dynasty, there was Zhao Mengfu; in the Ming Dynasty, there were Zhu Zhishan and Dong Qichang; in the Qing Dynasty, there were Wang Zuo, Shi Tao, Fu Shan, Zheng Xie, He Shaoji, and Liu Tang, and so on. These calligraphers of the 20th century and earlier each entered and left the halls of the ancient masters, creating new paths and forging their own styles with their artistic vocabularies, each establishing the calligraphic style of their time. Meanwhile, in the pre-20th century calligraphy world, under the inheritance of the (pi-style) calligraphic tradition, it declined, becoming weak, vulgar, monotonous, and rigid, as if the sun was setting, with its breath fading away. When history entered the 20th century, Northern Stele script took the lead in the calligraphy world, stirring up a wave of snow-like surges and a heart-stirring cry. Overcorrecting—“revere stele, despise Tang”——the once dominant (pi-style) vanished into thin air. Dynamic and open in thought, they revered both stele and pi styles, embracing their emotions and nature. Blending pi-style into stele, melting stele and pi together, they were inclusive and accommodating. Oracle bone script, bronze inscriptions, stone drums, Qin small seal script and Han clerical script, bamboo and wooden slips, cliffside epitaphs—all transformed under the calligraphers' hands, each excelling in their own way. Calligraphers were diverse in aesthetics, versatile in skills, and varied in styles, forming a group of (shi) calligraphers. Their surpassed the Ming and Qing dynasties, rivaling the Wei and Jin periods, and even climbing to the Qin and Han dynasties. No other calligrapher group in history dared to compete with them. In the 20th century, some calligraphers, filled with nostalgia for the fall of the Qing Dynasty, entered the turbulent Republic of China; others endured the plague-like decline of the Republic of China and survived to see the birth of the People's Republic; while others thrived in the new era. These calligraphers had diverse knowledge structures—old learning, new learning, and Western learning—extraordinary calligraphic talent, and masterful brush and ink techniques. Carrying their life experiences and insights, they entered the hall of 20th-century calligraphy art. Among the early prominent calligraphers were Shen Zongzhi, Wu Changshuo, Kang Youwei, and Li Ruqing; the mid-period saw Yu Youren, Wang Shitan, Zeng Xi, Zheng Xiaoxu, Li Shu Tong, and Lu Xun; and the late period included Ye Gongchuo, Xie Wuliang, Shen Yinmo, Bai Zhao, Hu Xiaoshi, and Lin Sanzhi. These three periods of calligraphers are only outstanding representatives among the shining stars; if listed carefully, there are still more dazzling masters. Their calligraphic art shines brightly on the modern calligraphy scene, illuminating the modern Chinese calligraphy world and will not be forgotten for at least three hundred years. Masters like Yu Youren and Lin Sanzhi will, like the "Two Wangs," be eternally remembered in calligraphy history. Their art nourishes the contemporary calligraphy world. In the past decade, the passion for calligraphy, both domestically and internationally, has surged higher and higher. Modern people learning calligraphy are more skilled than their predecessors, with open minds, broad perspectives, and diverse aesthetic values. They no longer revere the ancient exclusively, and the outdated view that "nothing is worth learning after the Tang Dynasty" has long been shattered. "Strive for the best and achieve the middle; strive for the middle and achieve the lower" seems foolish and laughable. It has become the trend to boldly learn from modern and contemporary calligraphers. In every national calligraphy exhibition, works by modern calligraphers have won awards, undoubtedly fueling the trend of learning from modern calligraphers and taking shortcuts.