Calligraphy Ten Lectures - (Fifth Edition Revised Version)

Author: Ru Gui
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-03-01
Features: Calligraphy is a highly attractive national art with a strong Eastern flavor. It blends nature and the mind, transforming the concrete into the abstract and the material into emotion, possessing a unique aesthetic appeal. Although the author is not a professional calligrapher, he holds a great interest in this art. He enjoys appreciating and reading the works of famous calligraphers from ancient and modern times, as well as related treatises. The author's Ten Lectures on Calligraphy, which he read shortly after its publication in 1980, left a deep impression on him. The book's well-structured outline, concise yet comprehensive arguments, combination of drawing from various sources and original insights, along with its fluent and elegant writing style, contributed to this impression. However, as some review articles have mentioned, the number of illustrations is too limited, and some chapters are overly restrained and succinct, leaving dedicated calligraphy learners feeling unsatisfied. With a chance for a more substantial revision, the book could better meet the needs of the public. The author has fully leveraged the strengths of the original book while adding numerous new contents. Not only does it provide detailed introductions to the basic techniques of calligraphy, such as brushwork, ink application, character structure, and composition, as well as the steps for learning calligraphy, with strong practicality, but it also offers systematic discussions on the essence of calligraphy art, its origins, evolution, stylistic schools, the cultivation of calligraphers' "extra-characteristic achievements," and the creation and appreciation of calligraphy works. The book is richly illustrated, appropriately detailed, easy to understand yet profound, and engagingly written, allowing readers to grasp the fundamental principles of calligraphy art through a relaxed and enjoyable reading experience while immersing themselves in its emotional and artistic beauty.