Guo Moruo

Author: Guo Moruo
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-05-01
Features: Chinese calligraphy has a history of thousands of years. At first, it was practical and existed alongside writing. During the Song, Yuan, Ming, and early Qing dynasties, calligraphers mostly followed the styles of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, valuing the methods of scholars and revering the ancients, with many innovations. From the mid-Qing dynasty onwards to the early Republic of China, epigraphical studies flourished, and the rules underwent significant changes, replacing the aesthetic of scholarly scrolls with the charm of inscriptions and artifacts. They surpassed the styles of Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi, tracing back to seal script and clerical script, delving deeply into Wei Stele calligraphy. At this point, calligraphers valued simplicity and pursued boldness and unrestrained brushwork, with sharp and lively brushstrokes, robust and expansive forms. They moved freely between the calligraphy of the Three Dynasties and the Han, Wei Stele cliff inscriptions, returning to the natural and spontaneous charm in both artistic conception and context. Calligraphy differs from music, painting, and sculpture—it is a unique art of the Chinese people. Over these thousands of years of calligraphic history, countless masters have emerged, shining like stars, and these invaluable artistic legacies must be organized and preserved. Of course, many people have always been concerned with calligraphy, and books about calligraphers and their biographies, as well as rubbings of steles and stone inscriptions, have become increasingly popular, suggesting a bright outlook. In recent years, our publishing house has also published a series of such books. Seeing calligraphy's current widespread popularity makes me feel happy as if it were my own cause. This book features a sophisticated and grand design, where form and content complement each other. The cover uses special paper, four-color printing, and Chinese calligraphy as the basic elements, combining literary symbols of varying sizes, traditional floral borders, and organic layout divisions to achieve a balance between movement and stillness. The thick lines at the top and bottom stabilize the ink traces, while the thin lines on the sides contrast with the unrestrained calligrapher, creating an overall effect of expansion and contrast.