Pursuing cultural value and showing the significance of the times——The positioning, method and path of calligraphy theme creation
Time: 2023/2/13 21:17:41Source: China Culture News
reporter Li Yiyi
▲The exhibition site of “China Power – National Poverty Alleviation Calligraphy Exhibition”
▲The exhibition site of “The Journey – Calligraphy Exhibition held to welcome and celebrate the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China”
▲The exhibition site of “Weiye – Calligraphy Exhibition in Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China”
Literary and artistic creation must face the fundamental issues of who to create for, what to create, and how to create. As an important part of literature and art in the new era of socialism, calligraphy creation also needs to think about and answer this fundamental question. In recent years, the creative transformation and innovative development of calligraphy has become an important direction, the basic idea of ”people, times, and professionalism” has gradually been rectified, thematic creation has become an important starting point, and the reform and expansion of the exhibition mode has become the main way. Calligraphers pay more attention to going deep into life and writing the times. From 2020 “China Power – National Poverty Alleviation Calligraphy Exhibition”, to 2021 “Weiye – Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China Calligraphy Exhibition”, and then to 2022 “Journey – Celebrating the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China” Calligraphy Exhibition”, the theme calligraphy exhibition mode continues to deepen. The successful holding of these exhibitions and the organization of the National Calligraphers Association have made themed exhibitions and themed creations become very popular keywords in the calligraphy world. How to further promote the development of themed creations, and further enrich and improve the creation and exhibition modes from the dimensions of political connotation and art form, traditional inheritance and expression of the times, professional leadership and popularization, pen and ink and text, works and exhibitions, etc.? Recently, the China Calligraphers Association launched an academic workshop activity, starting from positioning, methods, and paths, and conducted detailed and in-depth discussions on the two core topics of “thematic creation and thematic exhibition” and “writing norms and performance of brush and ink”. Exchange and discuss.
Get through the professionalism and people’s nature of calligraphy
The current field of literature and art, including art circles, film and television circles, etc. have discussed “theme”. Although their interpretations are not the same, on the whole, some key words are basically consistent with the idea of constructing themed exhibitions : People, times, nations, history, culture. Specific to the concept of thematic creation in the field of calligraphy, Zhang Bing, director of the Chinese Calligraphers Association and member of the Education Committee, explained: “The theme is a macro perspective, and thematic creation is a kind of era, life, text, emotion, brush and ink. The comprehensive creation mode of “Three Stages” (immersion feeling, experiential writing, theme creation) as the core content of the creative thinking. Through this mechanism, the majority of calligraphers can spontaneously try to learn from the two standpoints of the country and the times. To highlight the cultural significance and artistic value of calligraphy, so as to express the special emotion for the spirit and historical heritage of the Chinese nation.”
In fact, for the traditional field of calligraphy, the academic circles often talk more about the methodology of calligraphy research than the methodology of calligraphy creation. There is even a long-standing concept that calligraphy creation requires “natural writing” and opposes all methods and methods. In terms of methodology, this situation is obviously not in line with the reality of calligraphy creation. According to Zhu Shuai, a researcher at the School of Art of Peking University, in the past, the theory of calligraphy creation was mostly limited to the technical aspects of brushwork, ink, and calligraphy. On the contrary, the “external calligraphy” emphasized by the ancients was intentionally or unintentionally ignored, or it was unclear. At this time, the “three-stage” calligraphy creation methodology further showed its positive significance for correcting the current maladies of the calligraphy world.
“‘Immersive feeling’ means that the author forms an immersive touch in the in-depth research and experience of the narrative object, and then completes the writing of the text; on this basis, artistic creation is to transform experience into aesthetics, experience and creation A psychological translation mechanism was established between them, the so-called “experiential writing”, which is different from the state of mind expressed in copying Tang poetry and Song Ci, and the audience’s feelings and feedback are also different. The “thematic creation” in the three-stage It is not the progression of the first two steps, but as the guidance and guidance that always exists in creative concepts, creators need to always maintain a high degree of awareness of thematic creation, complete the conversion of emotions, texts, and writing, and the unity of connotation. Therefore, creation The identity of the calligrapher has multiple properties, he is not only the witness of history, but also the expresser of language, and the performer of literature and art, and the whole process of calligraphy creation is the sublimation of art beyond the restoration of scenery and human feelings.” Zhu Shuai said.
Record History:
record the mind and spirit
The proficiency of brush and ink, the influence of style, the value of templates and the content of words are all important factors for excellent ancient calligraphy works to be handed down. If calligraphy works are the final presentation of the “three-stage” theory, then what supports this form of expression is the content of writing, which is also the basis for the masses to empathize with the creators and resonate with calligraphy works.
In the past two years, where is the paradigm effect of the texts of the calligraphy exhibitions on the themes of “Weiye” and “Journey” that have attracted much attention? Yu Xiaoyong, director of the Calligraphy Education Research Center of Beijing Normal University, believes that the first is to clarify the meaning and value of the text. The second is to guide calligraphy creators to further understand and write texts through themed exhibitions. “Recording the history of words is the core content of the themed exhibition. The history of the Communist Party of China’s arduous struggle for a century and the new changes in Chinese society since the new era are the source of calligraphy creators’ deep understanding of the Chinese spirit. And go deep into the grassroots to find role models The footsteps of the creators have shocked the inner world of the creators and inspired their creative inspiration. The so-called “recording words” is by no means writing a journal, but recording thoughts and spirits.” Yu Xiaoyong pointed out that the expression of human spirit shown in the text , For example, the spirit of perseverance and perseverance are reflected in actual actions, which are the starting point for the masses to gain feelings. For creators, texts include not only recorded parts, but also abstract non-material expressions such as emotions and thoughts. Therefore, vernacular Chinese, ancient poetry and prose are all means of expressing the text, not the standard for determining the value of the text. The text should have rigorous expression, beautiful words, rich connotations, and thought-provoking and sympathetic interest. No matter what means of expression is used, it can add luster to calligraphy creation.
Advocating the creative method of “writing with facts and writing with words” means that the author is no longer simply copying ancient poems, or simply caring about the expression of skills and the innovation of forms, but to integrate into the times, express real life, To highlight the spirit of the times, and at the same time, to express profound inheritance, artistic imagination, sincere emotion and even temperament endowment and aesthetic pursuit in calligraphy. I write about my heart, and I write about life, history, and times.
How to grasp calligraphy creation
The relationship between “art” and “literature”?
Of course, while embodying the social function of writing to convey Tao, thematic calligraphy creation must also conform to the formal expression and aesthetic characteristics of the works in the exhibition hall space. Regarding how to coordinate the form and content of thematic calligraphy creation, Li Gangtian, director of the Chinese Calligraphers Association and vice president of Xiling Yinshe, said: “The beauty of form must obey and serve the theme content, and the readability and visibility of the works At the same time, the aesthetic function and educational function of calligraphy are reflected at the same time. The trend of thought and thematic calligraphy creation that only form and technique are supreme in current calligraphy creation are obviously not suitable. How to grasp the expression of creative passion, the creation of formal beauty and the reliability of writing content The degree of recognition, the theme of calligraphy creation puts forward new requirements for the author. This is a new attempt, although some authors are not yet able to grasp the “combination of art and literature”, but it is a beneficial attempt And a welcome start.”
Ye Peigui, vice chairman of the Chinese Calligraphers Association, put forward an important requirement in the themed creation exhibition, that is, creators go deep into life situations and historical fields to conduct emotional experience and text writing, which seems to be only a concrete exploration of “text” , but looking deeply, emotional experience and text writing are not things outside of “books”, on the contrary, they are very likely to affect the understanding of brush and ink (that is, “art”), thereby promoting the re-understanding of the relationship between tradition and innovation. Therefore, in recent years, the Chinese Calligraphers Association has encouraged the participating calligraphers to give full play to their “art” in the process of soliciting manuscripts for calligraphy-themed exhibitions. Exhibition experience, the emphasis on calligraphy itself has not been weakened, but has been strengthened. More importantly, this kind of experience and writing process has prompted more calligraphers to get out of the relatively narrow study and exhibition hall, and open up to history and life more actively.
Face up to the shortcomings of self-written articles and vernacular Chinese
History enhances cultural heritage, and life provides spiritual sources. How can contemporary calligraphy better reflect the times and life? It is obviously difficult for calligraphy works copied from ancient poems to achieve this effect. In recent years, self-authored essays advocated by the China Calligraphy Association are not an end, but a means. The successful practice of self-writing in thematic creation has undoubtedly become a bright spot. The “Power of China—National Calligraphy Exhibition for Poverty Alleviation” completed the connection between calligraphy creation and the text of the times; the “Weiye” exhibition completed a complete calligraphy creation chain from text to brush and ink; The perfect fit of classical meaning and the spirit of the times. Thematic creations and exhibitions have higher requirements for the quality of self-written articles, which will undoubtedly further promote calligraphers to pay attention to and improve their cultural literacy.
Calligrapher Wang Jinquan was proposed to create calligraphy works in the form of self-written poems in the “Journey” exhibition. The content was “to create a ‘Xiaogang model’ for rural revitalization”. A novel creative mode, he smelted the proposition of rural revitalization, which reflects the style of the times, into metrical poems and wrote a postscript, and also considered content-based style expression in the calligraphy creation stage. This creative experience made Wang Jinquan realize that poetry writing is still a shortcoming in the current calligraphy world, and calligraphers need to actively face it and face it squarely. The double cultivation of poetry and calligraphy should be studied and advocated as a direction or a topic.
In thematic creation, the writing practice of vernacular is not only a new challenge for the author, but also a new experience for the audience. The artistic level of calligraphy works presented in vernacular Chinese is not inferior to the writing of ancient poetry and prose for a long time, but it is more intimate and characteristic of the times. In the face of themed exhibitions, vernacular has an irreplaceable expressive factor and dissemination power. However, the creation of vernacular can not be limited to simple common language, but the text can reflect the will of the people, the symbol of the times, and has the spirit of inspiration and transmission. Positive role of Chinese stories. In this regard, Wang Yahui, deputy dean of the Chinese Calligraphy Culture Research Institute of Capital Normal University, put forward four requirements for the creation of vernacular writing, namely, highlighting ideological and documentary features, investing in real emotions, enhancing narrative ability, and improving language expressiveness and discourse implication. Use articles to carry thoughts, reflect narratives, express beliefs, minds, and feelings with words, and present the deeds of martyrs, models of the times, and images of advanced figures with various narrative methods to convey emotion and true feelings. Combined with many years of creative practice, calligrapher Wei Siqin said that it is more suitable to use small script, small running script, and cursive script for calligraphy creation of long vernacular texts. Seal script and official script are difficult to read, and the reading experience is not good, which will also affect the overall aesthetic feeling.
After the China Calligraphy Association put forward the sixteen-character policy of “rooting in tradition, encouraging innovation, combining art and literature, and being diverse and inclusive”, all previous exhibitions required authors to be authoritative and accurate in writing texts. Intervention has given the author a new round of emphasis on the selection of versions of the texts of the exhibited works. However, there are still many authors who have some misunderstandings about the editions. For example, they are completely convinced of the photocopies of ancient books, all the books of Zhonghua Book Company, Shanghai Ancient Books Publishing House, and the proofreading of celebrities. Inevitable errors will occur, and books published by authoritative publishing houses may not be correct and reliable. It is suggested that the source of poetry texts should be based on the latest collation or collation. Professor Liu Yuantang of the Calligraphy Department of the Academy of Fine Arts, Nanjing University of the Arts also suggested: “When using ancient books, calligraphers need to master some knowledge of bibliographies and editions, and then consider and choose different editions. Generally speaking, official engraved editions, first printed editions It is the first choice, less inclined to private editions and postprints; when copying, the version information can be recorded in the inscription, which can effectively avoid problems such as taboo characters caused by the version.” This kind of version The gradual process of cognition and the selection of written text versions also reflect the transformation of calligraphers from the writing level to the cultural level to some extent.
Thematic creations enrich the connotation of calligraphy exhibitions, forming the combination of calligraphy art expression and social functions, the integration of text presentation and the expression connotation of the times, the combination of calligrapher’s theme creation and social life, and the launch of high-quality masterpieces and exhibitions The curatorial model of thematic exhibitions that match the Chinese style. The ultimate goal of the “Four Fits” is to write for the times and for the people, while professionalism is the guarantee for expressing the people’s nature and the times’ nature. Vibrant thematic creations call for the support of academic considerations to better Integrate creative practice, academic research and art criticism, find the right direction in the historical coordinates, and promote the contemporary calligraphy industry to continue to climb new heights.
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