Chen Zhenzhen: The contemporary goal of calligraphy

The contemporary goal of calligraphy is a proposition that has been surrounded in my heart and lingering. Every calligrapher will position the relationship between himself and this era: what can I do in the field of calligraphy, in theomical calligraphy career? What should I do?

Be a self -entertaining enthusiast, and when I work nervously every day, I return home to write and cultivate their temperament. This is a position.

Famous by calligraphy, a famous master, is famous in my county, city, and province; This is also a positioning.

There should be many types of people who are involved in calligraphy today. Today is a diverse society. Calligraphers have the freedom to choose from, and each type has its reasonableness. For example, you ca n’t say that you must be despised and looked down on calligraphy to get rich. If you have the ability to get rich by calligraphy, you do n’t have a little work and ability. Besides, the soldiers who don't want to be a general are not good soldiers, so I want to rely on calligraphy, I think there is no problem. Even you can set up such a goal for yourself. I will be the chairman of the Chinese Book Association in the future. You have this goal and you should have been respected by everyone. As for whether it can be achieved, it depends on your level and your opportunities.

Many calligraphers can write calligraphy well, but many people may not think about the "contemporary goal of calligraphy". Maybe this is a question that you have never thought or rarely think about it. It is a relatively fresh topic. When many calligraphers write calligraphy, the first thing to think of is to consume calligraphy as much as possible: because calligraphy is a good thing, I want to consume it, I can make money by it, rely on it to be an official, and to entertain themselves. Consumption. But in this era, in the field of calligraphy art, there must be a number of elites. A group of people with the spirit of exploration and scientific research. These people do not treat calligraphy with a consumption attitude, but to treat calligraphy as a "era of the times. "Questions", constantly pursue the ultimate significance of it in this era. Finally, it develops more in line with the requirements of this era. There may be a few such people, but it is important.

As far as I am concerned, pursuing reputation, making a famous master, etc., may not have any special excitement and significance. I have always hoped to position myself in the history of contemporary calligraphy as a scientific explorer. I think that calligraphy is originally an object that allows me to keep inquiring, constantly questioning, and working hard to change. I always hope that the current situation of calligraphy existence and the difficulties that calligraphy encountered at present, and the advantages it may have continuously issued questions. In this process, no one remembers my efforts. It is not important for me. What is important is whether I can have a steady stream of ideological motivation, constantly questioning an art, and constantly looking for its new direction.

For example, Cai Yuanpei, Lu Xun, Hu Shi, etc. During the Republic of China, they could have been consumer literature like many people. But they didn't.

Through continuous exploration and attempts, the style of contemporary literature, from classical literature to the style of new literature, was determined by them. They did not treat literature with a simple consumption attitude, but regarded literature as a "test of the times", explored, questioned, and questioned the development of literature, and finally made it develop more in line with the requirements of the times.

On June 12, 2012, I held an oversized exhibition in the Zhejiang Art Museum, with a total of six exhibition halls. The name of this exhibition is called "social responsibility", and the reward of the final harvest of this exhibition is very successful. Those who have paid attention to this exhibition may have some questions, or there will be an idea, how can they raise this "social responsibility" in the calligraphy circle. When I put forward this name, the people around me have doubts: Is this "social responsibility" easily misunderstood as a political coach? Everyone knows that my calligraphy never writes politics. But such a concept is raised. If there is no explanation, it is normal for everyone to have such ideas. In fact, we cannot make a brief understanding of "social responsibility". The title of "Social Responsibility" contains a very important node we think about calligraphy innovation.

Let's start with the trajectory of 30 years of calligraphy development.

From 1979 to 1980, calligraphy began to resurrect. Its prelude was in 1976, and Shanghai Painting and Calligraphy Publishing House held a "Calligraphy" magazine, which belongs to a professional magazine.

It was a national calligraphy event in Shenyang's first calligraphy and seal engraving exhibition in Shenyang in 1979. Because of this exhibition, many calligraphers gathered in Shenyang and advocated the establishment of a calligrapher association. At that time, he was invited to the high hope of De Gao. The old revolution of Jiuding and the "Red Army" Mr. Shu Tong, the organization was established. Originally, calligraphy had not been legal, so the enthusiasm of the calligraphers at the time called for the establishment of his legal identity. As for whether it is well written, it is not a problem. During the "Cultural Revolution", the calligraphers were knocked down. Mr. Shen Yinmo torn his own works into fragments and rushed into the toilet to destroy it. That is to say, the biggest pain of the calligrapher at that time was no legal identity. Therefore, the establishment of the Chinese Calligraphers Association in 1981 gave the calligrapher an organization and a legal identity, which is important to the older generation of calligraphers.

However, the organizational problem was resolved. In fact, the calligrapher was not fully prepared at that time. Because the calligrapher is still the "small agricultural economy" state, a way of cultivating one household, the calligrapher at the time still wrote a brush word in his own book, at most it was a better brush word. Such awareness and habits still have the atmosphere, and it has always existed to this day. We have a lot of calligraphers that cannot distinguish between calligraphy art and writing "good brush characters". Why can't the difference between them? Because the calligraphy itself comes from practical, write good brush characters, and write well, everyone finds him, so he naturally becomes a calligrapher. Everyone thinks that calligraphers are developed like this. As for the hints of some elements of calligraphy, people were neither cared at that time nor how to care. In response to these situations, this generation of calligraphers after our "Cultural Revolution" (from 80 to 50 years old) proposed some measures, which have played a significant role in the 30 years of calligraphy development.

First of all, guiding calligraphy has begun to enter higher education. What is the concept of higher education? It cannot be simply defined as cultivation of several college students. For the original calligraphy, entering colleges and universities is a subversion. For example, the original calligraphy is to write a brush word casually, and now the calligraphy must become a professional art course in the four -year university; the original calligraphy is a matter of old -fashioned and slowly raising. Now in four years, we must put a specific specific in the past four years. The cultivation of a talent formed, it is impossible for the ancients to say that the ancients said that they were old, and the university had been studying for 20 years or a lifetime. In four years, all courses must have goals, teaching methods, curriculum content, less than lesson plans, and everything that contains vaguely in the original writing pen must be clear and must be standardized. It turned out that writing brushes is a cultural skill. Everyone can learn it, but today is not the case. We can write a beautiful paper in typing with keyboards. Calligraphy is no longer a necessary cultural skills for everyone. Therefore, the difference in this shows that writing calligraphy has become a thorough art professional behavior and choice.

I remember when I was a teacher in the Academy of Fine Arts, the first problem encountered was a clear conflict between professional and amateur learning calligraphy.

The method of learning calligraphy is to rely on the basis of writing some characters, or the pen characters are more positive. Now I want to write it as a brush, and then look at it to the west. Slowly form a body. There must be a little ancient classic in this body. However, because I have not undergone strict training, it is obviously a self -speaking and self -entertainment. If we position the benchmark of calligraphy to 100, starting from 0, your vision is 20, and you will do 20; if your vision is 30, you will do 30, but there is no way to go up.

Professional calligraphers must be trained very strictly. When you come in, you may be a piece of white paper. The teacher first tells you where the 100 is and where the highest point is. Even if you don't understand it now, you can't keep up, it doesn't matter. But my teacher must first let you understand where the high point is. Then, let you follow through various teaching methods. As a professional training position, all the efforts and good efforts you have paid should be.

The work is taken out, and my teacher only pointed out your shortcomings, only to say it is not good.

For example, I have been teaching and studying calligraphy in colleges and universities for decades. It should be said that I have practiced the eyes of fire eyes. What are the problems with students? A professional student, if I have been criticized for four years, you should be a master. Professional depends on training. My teacher must work hard at your hand in a short time to greatly improve your awareness and expression of your lines in ancient classics. Let me see that you have progress every day every day. This is the difference between professional and amateur. Of course, many calligraphers also started to learn amate at first, but I think that the form of amateur learning does not mean the quality of amateur learning. What we pursue first is quality.

Calligraphy, as an art major, hopes to establish a model in colleges and universities. In the process of teaching, because I want to teach students, the teacher cannot say that I am sorry I write Wei Bei, and cursive script will not teach. In the face of various classics, you must be proficient. In this way, the teacher strives to study all the classics. Teachers can not write well, but they must be proficient in classics. I have to tell students, what is classic, and what is the good classic? In this way, you can cultivate a group of students who are very skilled in the ancient classic law posts. At the same time, through this cultivation, it is slowly established a concept of writing a brush word that is only technical and calligraphy learning. It is a world of artistic feelings. In fact, the most fundamental difference between professional and amateur is vision and consciousness, not technology. The sense of art is poor, and the classic interpretation ability is poor; the better the technology, the farther and farther on the wrong road.

In this sense, professional models do subvert an important principle of ancient calligraphy. Ancient calligraphy is old -fashioned, that is, the older the age, the deeper the skill, the better the calligraphy. But today, standing on the scientific standpoint, if you do not absorb nutrients from ancient classics to enrich your art language, it is likely that the older you are, the deeper your skills. I ca n’t extricate myself in the strange circle of my own. Therefore, the correct learning method is important.

Over the past 30 years, our efforts are the first to slowly reverse the concept of writing brushes only about the skills of skills, transforming to a level of calligraphy art, and establishing a classic authority of calligraphy. This authority is the kingdom of calligraphy history for thousands of years. The kingdom of calligraphy is very large, and there are many classics. We are actually just a classic commentator. Many details of Wang Xizhi's "Lanting Preface" can be said clearly in teaching. The training of a "Lanting Preface" can be done for four months in full -time college calligraphy. No lessons are repeated every day. When you are holding a very fresh feeling every day, you accept a new learning challenge proposed by the teacher every day. In this case, will you still feel that it is not great? Even its connotation allows you to study and discover for a year or two without getting tired. Because through teaching, you can constantly find new problems in the posts and keep pursuing the way of expressing it. After training in this way, everyone understands that it is not that the technology on the pen is unable to afford it. It is an ancient inscription classic. Written well, it is not the standard. How many contents are passed down from ancient classics and were absorbed. This is the standard.

In the mid -1980s, the exhibition was very active, with various style of book style. At that time, it was known as "popular book style". Many people criticize the popular book style, because each exhibition will have the first prize and second prize, and a few models come out. Then many calligraphy enthusiasts follow the gold award style and follow them. The next exhibition of another gold award, he followed him again, and slowly formed a popular. Many calligraphers hated this "popular book style", and I didn't take it for granted. I think if you just watch the exhibition once, then the "popular book style" is definitely not good. Because you see a lot of poor followers. However, I think there is no need to losing win by a round. If it stands 20 years later, as a historian of calligraphy in this era, this "popular book style" may be very good.

Why? Each exhibition determines an ancient classic style. Ten exhibitions provide calligraphers with ten classic styles, with twenty twenty times.

For example, we can arrange it:

In the early 1980s, the exhibition popular was Wang Xizhi's style understood by Shanghai Shen Yinmo.

By 1984 and 1985, the Central Plains Book of Henan rose. At that time, a exhibition was held in Beijing called "Mohai Mo Tide".

Later, in 1987 and 1988, there were many small cursive and chapters in the award -winning works.

Later, Song Yuan's handwriting was popular for a while.

Then there is the "Guangxi phenomenon" called the western region's residual paper.

If you are an ordinary calligrapher, you can't touch such a lot of calligraphy styles in general. You may just write what you like, but because of the popularity, you think this two kings are important for a while, and learn it; think about this cursive script, the exhibition effect is good, and then learn it; That Zhangcao, later it was handwritten, and then the western region's residual paper ... If you are a person, you start to stare at these ten classics, although it is followed by the trend, but it is just that you are very narrow. Which vision is wide? Follow or not? I think it must be good. We can follow a lot of us, and the scriptures, bamboo and wooden simmered, and Bei Bei. If each of us follows, it has accumulated in 20 years and has more than a dozen types. What kind of broad vision do you think of you? A person who only writes a brush does not need this. But if you want to be a calligraphy artist today, you need this. The wider the chassis, the better, the more you learn, the better. In the end, if you have your own direction, it depends on your talent.

I think today's statement will definitely have an impact on everyone's thoughts. We are a single type of writing brush characters. Through higher education, we have established a classic authoritative concept. Then through the exhibition, various classic interpretations are continuously launched, so that calligraphers discover that calligraphy is not just an individual, and the world of calligraphy is very large. This big is not casually said. This is a classic of three thousand and 5,000 years, a generation of generations, and a generation of generations of Famen. This is the first round of our 30 years of the calligraphy industry, the first process.

In the second process, when we establish a calligraphy classic, what is the challenge we encounter? Calligraphy has become more and more of a literati doctor's self -appreciation event since the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. Today, a very important job of the Calligraphers Association is the exhibition. A national calligraphy exhibition is needed to be used as a platform for calligraphers to communicate and dialogue. However, many calligraphers did not realize the change of their identity. They are still used to taking a good work of writing a brush, and then ask the painter to mount it and hang it on the wall. A piece of work is issued from the calligrapher. The whole process of mounting and hanging in the exhibition hall. The calligrapher himself does not care about it and disdain: because mounting is a matter of mounting craftsman, and the arrangement of the exhibition hall is a matter of staff. As for whether this work is hanging in the exhibition hall? Have you reached the best display and what kind of artistic atmosphere was passed? Or do I have a special pursuit as a creator? Can it be expressed through this exhibition? The calligrapher himself does not care. If the process is so rough and poor, of course, the calligrapher has the quality of calligraphy art creation. Perhaps it can be said that this calligrapher is not ready. He doesn't know the art requirements of this exhibition hall. He doesn't know if he is suitable for this exhibition hall?

I don't know if this work is hung on my own book wall. Will it be good in the exhibition hall? Does the writing content have anything to do with this exhibition hall? Originally, as an artist, these relationships must be investigated.

Of course, if it is writing a brush, it is practical in itself, but just wants to write a better look, then you don't need to investigate these.

As a result, in the second round, we proposed the concept of "exhibition hall culture". Calligraphy has become a artwork, and it is displayed through an exhibition. The ancients of the ancients were where the two or three confidants were sitting on the way, and the space was very small. But the public exhibition hall is a large space of hundreds of square meters, thousands of square meters, which can accommodate many people. The works hanging in the book may be two or three, and they are not competitive to each other. Hundreds of works coexist in the exhibition hall. Even if you do n’t have a sense of competition between the works and the work, the audience will make his own choice after seeing it. This means that there is a competition and choice between the innateness of the work and the work. In a national exhibition hall, you must want your work to be the best inside. But everyone thinks the best, which constitutes a competition. To make competition, you have to mobilize all means to make your work colorful, attractive, impress and shocking. Any expert will stop in front of the wonderful works, and will be involuntarily stopped. He will carefully observe this work, study carefully, and taste carefully, but it will not be a mediocre work. Therefore, the works of participating in the exhibition must meet a condition that can be undefeated in the competition. All point paintings, all structures, all glyphs, all chapters, and all genre style belong to you, you must study it carefully.

Beginning in 1995, I made an exploration attempt for "college to send calligraphy".

The calligraphy of "college faction" has three principles. The first is called "theme first", the second is "formal first", and the third is called "technology -based".

The technology is the standard, that is, the foundation, the technology is not good, it is not inaccurate, and it can only be eliminated. But technology is technology, no matter how well you write, it is technology.

The technology is 60 points. No matter how good the technology is, it is not only a full score. The proportion of this work is 60 points. So, what about "formal first"? Form is the appearance of things. The technology is very good, and it needs to be shaped and expression. Then there is "the theme first", that is, calligraphy must be conceived.

In this decade, the requirements for the exhibition are paying more and more attention.

Because a national exhibition review of 50,000 or 60,000 submission works, if it lacks novelty in form, it will be brushed out in the first round. Therefore, in order to ensure victory, many calligraphers have to work hard to show their magical powers in terms of form. All kinds of high -level and low levels have come out. With this process, the calligraphers have been greatly exercised. Many calligraphers today, with good technology and strong form. On the entire coverage, today's calligrapher's technology is not inferior to any period of ancient times.

From the 1990s to the end of the 1990s, until the intercourse of the century, the problems we encountered were actually like this. A calligrapher must do it. First, you should not just write a brush word. The writing must be classic and calligraphy art. Second, calligraphy is art, and there must be an artistic expression platform, that is, the meaning of establishing classics and emphasizing the "exhibition hall culture". We have done these two aspects and have achieved results.

I said earlier that I was a explorer, and I will constantly ask. Today, calligraphers study, and through classic promotion, there is no shortage of technology. After more than ten years of promotion and improvement of the "exhibition hall culture", there is no shortage of forms. So what else is missing?

For example, there are many Song Mingtuo books in the National Library of China. There are many well -known Song Tuo Mingtuo's Tuo Ben, because of precious, I hope to publish. Then ask 60 calligraphers across the country to post a post after each extension.

60 calligraphers should be said to be the best calligraphers in contemporary Chinese. At least at this stage, the level of 60 calligraphers should have no problem, but after finishing the title, the first pair of postscripts is very strange. No special research. Second, the text of this post and post, which makes people unbearable. So many famous calligraphers tell us a cruel fact: today's calligraphy lacks cultivation and skills. Today, calligraphers pay attention to the level of art, but they lack an ancient calligrapher and an inherent quality culture. Every time I read the exhibition, I felt that we all copied the ancient poems. After looking at your work hundreds of years later, you can't judge which era this content is. The lack of culture does not mean that we have no culture, but the sign of the culture of this era cannot be reflected in the wording of the work. Of course, this culture is difficult. First, the writing tool has changed from a brush to a pen. Second, the traditional Chinese characters have become simplified. Third, the vertical writing has become horizontal, and it turns from the right. Fourth, the classical Chinese becomes a verb. These four changes are actually "unprecedented changes" brought to us in this era. Because it is a strange change, there is no standard answer. Therefore, in 2009, we first proposed the concept of reform, to pull the calligrapher out of the technical trap and promote the concept of "reading calligraphy". Calligraphy is not only written, and it must have the value of readable. The content of this text should make me feel readable, rewarded, and swimming. I was a project when I was doing the Beijing Exhibition: it was called "Master's Visit Records". When I was a kid, I was in Shanghai. There were many famous calligraphers in Shanghai, such as Xie Zhiliu, Tang Yun, Lai Chusheng, Wang Yizheng, Liu Haisu, and later studied in Hangzhou. It, Qi Gong. Later, the scope slowly expanded. I have seen Yang Renkai, Liu Jiuzhang, and Wang Shixiang. So I wrote down the details of me and these predecessors. During the exhibition, experts and leaders came to visit. When I talked about the life of these teachers, it was the most attracting their interest. Everyone will supplement me with their communication experience with these famous masters. At that time, Mr. Shen Peng said in an approved manner in the preface that your group of things is very similar to "Shi Shi New Words". Such works recorded very lively characters.

So I felt that "reading calligraphy" was promising. We should start advocating the cultural nature of calligraphy -reading.

Promoting the cultural consciousness of calligraphy is the third stage. In other words, after 30 years, we pulled calligraphy back from a visual art to a traditional Chinese culture.

In 2009, I made an exhibition in Beijing, of which I did only a part of the "Master Teacher's Visiting Records". It is these branches that "famous teachers' visits" and "Xiling Reading History" have interested many people, which has greatly inspired me. As the extension of this idea, in the 2010 Teacher's Day, I held a special exhibition, "The Gate of the Great Merchant -the Master of the Master in the eyes of Chen Zhenyu", the 50 master masters written in the work have given me pointers to me The grace, taught me, I am "Chengmen Lixue". The second extension is the 108th anniversary of the establishment of Xiling Yinshe in 2011. I made 108 works in 108 years. Each work is a node in the history of Xiling Yinshe. In history, a historical fact that everyone has not understood; sometimes it is prompting a great contribution of a sage to the establishment of Xiling Yinshe; sometimes it is a certain paragraph of the literature record that Xiling Yinshe is not true. Write in; I wrote a set of works like this, 108 large and small, and made an exhibition called "Watching Xiling". The pre -exhibition questions must be read by these works, and you feel boring if you don't read it.

Looking at the "Watching Xiling" exhibition, it is equivalent to doing a lot of popularization of the historical knowledge of Xiling Yinshe. When I write these things, I am not copying, and I will write my feelings of every predecessor.

Promote this concept of "reading calligraphy" and practice. But what about further goals?

You can write not only the writers' essays, and the research and writing of scholars. Why not write a social journalism chronicle? Isn't the ancients who wrote things around? Like "Lanting Preface", "Sacrifice Nepheth Draft", and so on. Therefore, it is determined to start another stove and write about social news Chronicle.

For example, "German Legislative Forbidden Preschool Education" is the title of my work. We all say that our children cannot lose on the starting line, so we attach great importance to preschool education. The former Soviet Union and Germany were prohibited from preschool education and legislative. If a preschool child, the teacher taught him more than 1 to 10, the teacher was illegal and was going to jail. This was found out from the news.

For example, Youku's merger of potatoes and Kodak changed from red to a defeat for a while ... Looking back at our calligraphy, if we do not study innovation seriously, we may also be the same as Kodak.

Another example is a people's livelihood story written by calligraphy. There is a taxi driver in Tianjin, and a blind young man takes his car, and they chat with each other. The blind young man said that I thought of employment in big cities, learned a blind massage, and eaten their own efforts in the future. The driver felt very good and sent him to his destination. The blind youth wants to pay the fare. The driver said, I do n’t collect your money, you are blind. The blind youth said, that's not that, why don't you collect money in your car? Here, the driver said a very classic words, he said, I am not so great, I just make money than you. Then the other online was called Uncle Sven and got on the car. After getting on the car, he asked what you did just to pull, and the driver told the story to the uncle Sven. At the destination, Uncle Sven took out the money to the driver that you did it well. I paid him for him just now. Of course, the driver said, that's not okay. The guests had never encountered the car's taxi to the guests in front. Uncle Svin said the same classic words: I am not great, and I just make money than you.

I wrote this story as "the moral relay of" I am not great ". I think the warmth of society is reflected in these subtle places.

Calligraphers pay attention to it, which is called "social responsibility". That is, we have to pass on calligraphy works, through reading, and appreciation to convey the greatness and love of people. Our generation should have such a responsibility. Use calligraphy to reflect this era. Of course, too sensitive and too common sense is not written. I hope to complete the transformation of calligraphy again in this way.

Therefore, the first type of "reading calligraphy" is literati essays, the second type is expert academic research, and the third type is social journalism.

The literati essay is my own person. The characters in the book, or those who are not interested in me, will not resonate.

Research writing and academic research have expanded. Not only are you interested in me, but people who are interested in a certain field of writing and academics will pay attention to it.

Social News Chronicle tells the story of the public, and everyone will resonate. Because everyone and I came together, they were all graces of this society. Therefore, I call it another revolution in my own trilogy. This revolution I think it has a subversive significance. It expands calligraphy from a small circle in a literati book, or from an academic research of a pure theory to the whole society. It has become a benchmark for society. The history of society and the history of the pen.

Therefore, this exhibition of "social responsibility", I think it is a very important revolutionary change for myself. The value of this "reading calligraphy", from the personal small circle, to the middle circle of a famous field column, to the large circle of the whole society, I think there are three types of cross support, the concept of "reading calligraphy", In the sense of scientific research, it should be established.

In the end, what I want to say is that the creative goals of contemporary calligraphy will have many directions in this era, but there will be some clear and reasonable direction choices. Everyone agrees. Such a directional choice is to sort out the 30 -year history of calligraphy and determine the goal after a historical analysis. The diameter of calligraphy creation is the skills, form and text content. When testing whether a calligrapher is level, he no longer rely on the skills of skills. And it depends on whether the work is cultural connotation. This culture includes a very rich content: you can be personalized literati -style, or an academic research in a special field, and it can also cover the whole society, the so -called "social chronicle".

Just now, I discussed the contemporary goals of calligraphy with you, and my personal understanding of the creation of calligraphy history in this era. It should be emphasized that the development of calligraphy in this era, if you want to explore the goal of contemporary times, it must be to repeatedly strengthen the "cultural" content of calligraphy creation. In addition, there is no other way.

Source: Chen Zhenzhen Art Lecture Hall

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