History of Calligraphy

Author: Cong Wenjun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-12-01
Features: Chinese Calligraphy Series for Doctoral Candidates. Section 2: Order and Expression: From Humanity to Nature in Ancient China, society needed an order centered around the ruling will. As a specific form of written language, calligraphy also required order, with both aiming for stability. Order needed authority and reasonable counterparts, so early people thought of natural laws such as day and night, cold and heat, sun and moon, wind and rain, thereby making everything in the human world a symbol of the cosmic order and achieving eternal significance. Order also needed theoretical support, leading to concepts like "Unity of Heaven and Humanity," "Three Cardinal Principles" and "Five Constant Virtues," as well as ritual and music culture and Confucian thought. As a tool for recording language and spreading cultural ideas, the writing of characters must reflect order and its cultural spirit, which is what the Book of Calligraphy refers to as "From Humanity to Nature." "Return" means to revert or align, referring to the idea that calligraphy must ultimately return to the order of the universe, differing from the theoretical level of "Establishing Heaven to Define Humanity." The Book of Calligraphy further states: "A calligrapher has two perspectives: observing objects and observing oneself. Observing objects helps to understand emotions, while observing oneself helps to attain moral enlightenment. In this way, every aspect of calligraphy is calligraphy, and the timing of calligraphy becomes clear." The concept of "observing objects" stems from the theoretical understanding of "Establishing Heaven to Define Humanity," aiming to study things to gain knowledge and taking nature as the foundation of calligraphy. "Understanding emotions" means comparing human feelings to those of objects, both linked to calligraphy, as described by Wang Xunqian in his Rhapsody on Calligraphy: "Emotions rely on the void to measure existence, while thoughts follow imagination to depict the empty." "Observing oneself" refers to advancing from technique to the Dao, attaining the virtue of the divine, which is the concrete implementation of "From Humanity to Nature." In other words, "From Humanity to Nature" is an artistic thought with political, ethical order, and educational functions, a completely subjective theoretical system that imitates nature. The Book of Rites·Liji states: "Music is the harmony of Heaven and Earth; rituals are the order of Heaven and Earth. Those who govern the world through courtesy and propriety are the essence of music and rituals." Using music to harmonize with the universe reflects the meaning confirmed in the Book of Calligraphy that calligraphy "How could one not be moved by emotions, shaped by words, to capture the essence of poetic elegance; the sun's warmth and the moon's coolness are rooted in the heart of Heaven and Earth." Music expresses emotions, where beauty lies in harmony and smoothness, excess leading to extravagance and chaos; rituals represent order, imitating the laws of Heaven and Earth. Xiang Mu in his Elegant Words on Calligraphy·Book Order states: "The achievement of calligraphy flows with the universe, protecting and upholding the teachings." Again, in Harmony in Calligraphy, Xiang Mu discusses the beauty of calligraphy's harmony: "Like rituals and music in harmony, it is the natural form." Zhu Changwen in Continuation of Calligraphy Judgments notes: "The teaching of calligraphy in ancient times involved participating in rituals and music." Also, the Book of Rites·Lixi states: "Great music must be simple, and great rituals must be concise." Zhang Huailin in On Characters writes: "A few words can convey meaning, but a single character reveals the heart—this is the way of simplicity." The Xunzi·Luyun states: "Therefore, people cannot but enjoy music, and when they enjoy music, it cannot be without form; if form is not guided by the Dao, chaos will arise." Zhang Huailin in the Preface to Calligraphy Judgments writes: "The sign of calligraphy must align with the Dao." Thus, the spirit of ritual and music culture, with its strong social utility, became the overarching framework of ancient artistic thought. In terms of calligraphy aesthetics and theory, the main manifestations are as follows.
One: Order Transformation
As mentioned earlier, the cosmology and sense of order represented by ritual and music culture stem from the production and life of agricultural society. Ancient society was based on agriculture, and as early as the Shangshu·Shun, it explicitly proposed "Now, let us establish the rites and music to govern the people."