Calligraphy Brush Regular Script Structure Tutorial

Author: Tian Yingzhang / et al.
Editor-in-Chief: Dong Yingshuang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-08-01
Features:
Before the publication of Tian Yingzhang's Brush Calligraphy Standard Course, Yingzhang asked me to write a preface. I felt reluctant, as I know very little about calligraphy, fearing my words might be inappropriate and cause ridicule. However, then it occurred to me that I often engage in deep conversations with Yingzhang during our leisure hours—discussing everything from history and culture to human emotions, music, chess, painting, and the ups and downs of artistic life. Moreover, whenever someone comes to him for a calligraphy piece, he often stands by to observe the ink splashes, which brings him great joy. Though I dare not claim to write a fitting preface, I decided to record some of my thoughts. I believe this is not out of place.
In an essay, Che Zi Kai wrote: "A person of complete character is like a tripod, with truth, goodness, and beauty as its three legs. Truth and goodness give rise to beauty, and beauty gives birth to art. Whenever I admire Yingzhang's calligraphy, I am filled with a sense of artistic enjoyment. I believe that only true art can move people, and art must be rooted in truth and goodness, which in turn must be tempered by beauty. If a few random characters are scribbled on a piece of paper, they may be truthful and good, but they lack beauty. Something without beauty cannot be called art.
My little cat can climb onto a piano and produce various sounds, but it does not create music. A painter's palette may hold all the colors of the rainbow, but it does not become a painting. Why? The answer is: because it lacks rhythm. Rhythm is the essence of art. Yingzhang's calligraphy is considered art because it combines truth, goodness, and beauty with rhythm.
What is known as the structure of calligraphy refers to composition and form. Each stroke must be carefully placed, with cause and effect following in order, every movement deliberate, and every rule observed. Large strokes should be scattered yet balanced, small strokes dense yet harmonious, straight strokes steady yet not rigid, and slanted strokes upright yet not leaning. Everything should be stable and well-aligned, with a sense of order and variety. When the heart and hand work in harmony, beauty is born. Observing such works fills one with reflection on life and a sense of wonder.
As for how calligraphy creates beauty to reach a higher realm, I urge you to study Yingzhang's works closely—no further words from me are needed. I forget which sage once said: "In art, character comes before technique, and this is clear. If a person lacks the virtue of promoting good and discarding evil but instead boasts of arrogance, even if they hold a thousand solo exhibitions or publish millions of books, it will all be in vain, leaving them with nothing but an empty reputation and the disdain of the world.
Yingzhang may not be the most intelligent, but he is extremely meticulous in his work. In his annual evaluations, I once summarized his character in two sentences: "Famous but not fame-seeking, benefiting but not profit-seeking." He is ordinary but not shallow, humble but not weak. In art, he adheres to rules and principles, delves deep yet explains simply, is meticulous to the core, and learns from nature. He avoids grandiosity and flamboyance, instead embracing steadiness, refinement, and simplicity as his guides. His works and character are widely admired and respected by all.
The reason Yingzhang's works and character leave such an impression is inseparable from his upbringing in a scholarly family, where his father and elder brothers taught him calligraphy and painting. His older brother Yunzhang also competed with him in practicing calligraphy, and their home was filled with countless masterpieces. He began studying calligraphy at the age of three and has devoted over forty years to it, learning tirelessly through seasons and years. Achieving such success is no overnight feat, but his "calligraphy obsession" deserves admiration!
The publication of this course also received great assistance from Liang Fengyan, Director of the Office of the China Calligraphy and Painting Talent Research Center. On behalf of the authors and myself, I extend my gratitude here.
The above thoughts are purely spontaneous reflections, not intended as a preface. I offer them for the guidance of the knowledgeable, humbly admitting my own inadequacies.