Classical Chinese Calligraphy of Ancient China - (Full 10 Volumes)

Author: Zhang Shengyuan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: Calligraphy is the art of Chinese characters, a form of expressive art carried by Chinese characters. In China, the brush has been the primary writing tool since ancient times, continuing until the early 20th century. Today in China, brush writing has reduced its original practical significance and has almost entirely transformed into a tool for artistic expression. The Chinese nation is an ancient one, filled with a mysterious cultural hue, possessing an innate richness in imagination and aesthetic sensitivity. Our ancestors, through the experience of brush writing, discovered the emotional expressiveness hidden in the act of writing. The variations in form resulting from different brush movements stimulated the emotions of the writer. Through generations of creative accumulation, by the Tang Dynasty (618–907), a unique and perfect system of form and aesthetics had already been formed. Although this art form has strong regional cultural characteristics, its strong sense of abstraction and lyricism also gives it a truly global nature. Art is art precisely because it lacks a fixed appearance and form but adheres to common principles, such as the independence, systematic nature, abstraction, expressiveness, emotional focus, and aesthetic value of its formal language. Since its formation, Chinese calligraphy has continuously evolved, maintaining both an ancient and fresh appearance. This makes me think of a question regarding artistic principles: in the true sense, art has no distinction between old and new; it should only differ in beauty and artistic level. A single Chinese character can be written in multiple styles, and even within the same style, the forms vary greatly due to the different writers, presenting an abundance of changes—truly profound and extensive! For the West, many people know of this unique Chinese art, but few are familiar with and understand it. The reasons for this, I do not wish to explore. The reason we first published ten basic styles of Chinese calligraphy is to give artists and art enthusiasts with Western cultural backgrounds a general impression of this art. Subsequently, we will select more outstanding styles and delve deeper. Any art form is a shared heritage of humanity, free from national boundaries and capable of transcending cultural differences. Perhaps there are constraints in recognizing and understanding Chinese characters during the appreciation of Chinese calligraphy, but I believe: the artistic allure of calligraphy itself is sufficient to gradually dissolve such constraints in aesthetic experience.