Zhang Ding Calligraphy Collection

Author: Zhang Ding
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Mr. Zhang Ding is a painter with a broad artistic talent. He has achieved remarkable accomplishments in various painting fields such as cartoons, murals, decorative paintings, and landscape paintings. His efforts and contributions to the art of crafts, especially folk art crafts, are particularly outstanding. His profound expertise in calligraphy has also attracted widespread attention. Therefore, Mr. Zhang Ding's artistic activities should be categorized as those of a "broad visual arts" artist. Mr. Zhang Ding is already eighty-eight years old this year. In recent years, he has focused his artistic expression on calligraphy, particularly small seal script. Whether it is hanging scrolls in large exhibitions or practical items such as halls, plaques, and inscriptions, one can appreciate Zhang Ding's calligraphic traces. Over the past decade, the art criticism community has primarily focused on the abundant achievements of this elderly artist in painting and craft design, with very few articles dedicated to introducing the artistic style of Zhang Ding's calligraphy and tracing the evolution of his calligraphic journey. Today, let us transcend time and space to preliminarily explore the journey of Zhang Ding's small seal script.
Born in Beizhen County, Liaoning Province in 1917, Zhang Ding's father, a private tutor, wrote exquisite regular script, including large and small regular script without drawing grids or lines, creating a well-structured and solid foundation in calligraphy. Although he later joined the military, this neat and formal script style earned him praise from superiors and was awarded the fifth rank of military merit. The guidance and teachings of his father instilled a deep interest in Chinese painting and calligraphy in young Zhang Ding, who demonstrated extraordinary artistic talent from a young age. In Zhang Ding's artistic career, his father was his best early teacher. The integrity and strength of the tutor, the vigor of the soldier, and the strictness of the formal script all left a lasting impression on the young Zhang Ding, sowing the seeds of a highly individualized artistic spirit and profoundly influencing his artistic life. Throughout his long artistic career, whether in his biting cartoons, the heroic portrayal of Nezha, or the profound ink-and-wash landscapes, the boldness of his small seal script embodies Zhang Ding's artistic spirit of vigor and grandeur.
Another opportunity for Zhang Ding to study calligraphy came from his encounter with a good teacher at a young age. During his middle school years in Mianzhou, he learned calligraphy from a teacher who loved calligraphy, primarily practicing the of Han Dynasty clerical script, the Zhang Qian Stele. Even today, when appreciating Zhang Ding's clerical script, one can still discern the echoes of the Zhang Qian Stele. Zhang Ding had a deep fondness for seal script. The Qin seal script, as a national treasure that synthesized the calligraphy of the six states, features uniform and regular characters. The flourishing of Qin seal script represents a crucial turning point in the evolution of Chinese calligraphy. The strong national power and vibrant spirit of the Qin Dynasty led to the creation of this round and flowing, elegant and serene script, which was highly decorative and retained the pictographic characteristics of "writing like scattered leaves, following the body's twists and turns." These qualities align perfectly with Zhang Ding's profound foundation in decoration and painting. The heroic temperament and vigorous artistic spirit cultivated in Zhang Ding from a young age harmonize with the spiritual essence of this ancient script. The interplay of these factors created a strong resonance between Zhang Ding's artistic personality and the characteristics of seal script, forging an inseparable bond between them. Among the ancient masterpieces he studied, the Shigudwen that he frequently practiced played a decisive role in shaping his small seal script. The Shigudwen by Wu Changshuo, especially his style of practicing the Shigudwen, was Zhang Ding's favorite model and one he revered and emulated. Wu Changshuo, a master of seal script, devoted long years to practicing the Shigudwen, elevating it to a realm of ancient grandeur and majestic elegance, unparalleled in calligraphy. The Shigudwen features lively and varied forms, with irregular yet harmonious arrangements, continuing the strength of Jin Dynasty gold script above and opening the way for the regularity of Qin seal script below. Zhang Ding, accustomed to using a brush, developed the habit of picking up his brush and practicing every morning. Sometimes he studied the Qin seal script of the Shigudwen, meditating on its meaning; at other times, he created independently, forging new ideas. His reflections at this time were captured in his self-titled inscription for the Shigudwen practice copy at the age of sixty-five: "I have long admired the Shigudwen in calligraphy. Over decades of practice, each day brings a new realm of understanding." The depth of his gains is evident in his brushwork.
In his early years, Zhang Ding inherited the calligraphic tradition of his family, learned from famous Han Dynasty clerical script steles in his youth, and later entered the realm of the Shigudwen in adulthood. This clear path of calligraphic study formed a strong pillar for his calligraphic form, temperament, and spirit. The strength and structure of his seal script directly benefited from the Shigudwen. Zhang Ding's small seal script absorbs the broad and expansive, naturally robust and elegant characteristics of the Shigudwen, incorporating his own understanding of artistic principles. He integrates his achievements in "broad visual arts" into his seal script, forming the framework of the Zhang Ding small seal script we see today.
Mr. Zhang Ding's seal script infuses the regular Qin seal script with a dynamic vitality of calligraphy. Before picking up the brush, the layout and structural variations are clear in his mind; when writing, his movements are swift yet steady, without any artificiality, appearing effortlessly natural. The structure and spacing of Zhang Ding's small seal script reveal extraordinary artistic talent. He applies the formal beauty principles of painting and decorative design to the dots, lines, and spaces of calligraphy, showcasing the unique style of Zhang Ding's calligraphy as an artist. His brushwork is round yet square, firm yet flexible. Sometimes his strokes are slow and deliberate, exuding a warm and profound inner force; at other times, his brushwork is bold and forceful, creating an external force like a rushing bamboo. The ink is sometimes moist, sometimes dry, and the brushwork is both dynamic and still. Every dot and line is meticulously crafted—sometimes straight and upright, powerful as if capable of lifting a tripod; sometimes curved and graceful, like a strong bow. The contrast and interaction between the directional and reverse structures are perfectly balanced, leaving the viewer in endless reflection. Seal script reveals Zhang Ding's extraordinary innovative spirit and his profound understanding of calligraphy. While preserving the original regularity of the Qin seal script, he infuses it with new content—his firm grasp of the robust and profound essence of steles, and his extensive learning and innovation in ink and brush techniques, opening a new era in seal script. This achievement is captured by Qifeng in his Quatrain on Calligraphy: "To see the brushwork through the chisel marks." Thus, Zhang Ding's seal script is free of rigidity and craftsmanship, embodying an expressive seal script that is executed with the power of ten thousand hairs, achieving a natural and effortless artistic brilliance.
The elegance and grandeur of Zhang Ding's small seal script stem from his upright and strong character, his broad cultivation and diligent creation, as well as his rich life experiences and approachable yet vigorous artistic charm. In the world of calligraphy, the contemporary era is one where the individuality of calligraphy art is prominent, and transformations are abundant. Amidst these changes, should we not pause and reflect on the innovative pulse of calligraphy? From Zhang Ding's calligraphic journey—starting with regular script, moving on to the Zhang Qian Stele, and finally mastering the Shigudwen to reach a new artistic realm—we see once again that calligraphic innovation stems from a solid and profound calligraphic tradition. Without a doubt, Zhang Ding's small seal script not only brings visual cultural pleasure to viewers but also offers countless insights to those who love art.