Ruan Yuan Bao Shichen

Author: Ruan Yuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-09-01
Features: Since the birth of Chinese characters, calligraphy has existed in China. Humans have always created the world according to aesthetic principles from the beginning. Ancient oracle bone inscriptions and bronze inscriptions, with their unique material conditions and brushwork structures, left behind an unparalleled beauty for later generations. Later followers' pursuit of calligraphic beauty became conscious, infusing it with artistic elements that predecessors had not. However, this does not always mean continuous surpassing, nor is it necessarily comprehensive. Due to the inherent characteristics of calligraphic art, evaluations of it have often relied on overly abstract and uncertain terms. This can even be said to be related to the ambiguity in Chinese linguistic habits, but it is also inseparable from the abstract nature of Chinese calligraphy. Additionally, traditional calligraphic history has often emphasized lineage relationships when discussing specific schools or masters. While discussing lineage is necessary, it sometimes becomes overly simplistic, falling into linear thinking patterns. This inevitably restricts creative consciousness. In terms of its practical significance, we should strive to study artists and their works from multiple perspectives, doing better than the ancients. We should view the activities of a specific calligrapher as a manifestation of both social essence and the essence of calligraphy. Contemporary calligraphy has entered a historically unprecedented situation. On one hand, material conditions have changed the writing conditions upon which calligraphy depends. On the other hand, calligraphy is flourishing within a limited scope, stubbornly surviving. Our stance undoubtedly should be that of a promoter of calligraphic prosperity. Contemporary calligraphers, facing the dilemmas of engaging with the times and exploring the future, seek inspiration from theoretical and historical research. This inevitably gives calligraphic history a contemporary nature. It does not involve arbitrary of history but rather summarizes patterns from the past, seeking new life and vitality.