Thursday, June 25, 2009

Seow Yawu’s Calligraphy 萧雅悟的书法

Seow Yawu’s (Xiao Yawu) interest in Chinese calligraphy is a result of the strict demand of the Chinese calligraphy home work by his first teachers. After leaving school, Yawu had to work overseas to earn his living and during this period, he lost touch with the Chinese culture.
Yawu is now retired and learning calligraphy by attending the Senior Citizen Calligraphy University class conducted by Professor Tan Siak Kwee. Although he had very little knowledge of Chinese calligraphy, his interest in calligraphy was further developed and confidence gained after almost three years of training and study of its theory and techniques. His calligraphy works were also selected for display at the Senior Calligraphy Exhibition in 2008 and the Singapore Calligraphy Annual Exhibitions in 2008 and 2009.
The text of his calligraphy shown here is a poem ‘The Temple of Qu Yuan’ written by Dai Shulun (732-789) of Tang dynasty.

Endlessly the Yuan and Xiang rivers flow,
So do the deep lament of Qu Yuan.
As evening falls, the autumn wind blows,
With maple leaves rustling.
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萧雅悟,对书法的兴趣是由于启蒙老师对书法功课的严格要求而萌发。离开学校之后,远走他乡谋生,就此与中华文化疏离数十载。
雅悟现已退休,在新加坡老年书法大学学习书法,师从陈声桂教授。原本对书法没有认知,经过接近三年的书法的理论与技法的灌输与训练下,终于建立了对书法的兴趣与信心,作品也获选参加新加坡书法中心的黄金岁月书法展(2008年)和新加坡书法年展(2008年及2009年)的展出。
唐代戴叔伦(732—789)的《三闾庙》
沅湘流不尽,
屈子怨何深。
日暮秋风起,
萧萧枫树林。

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Oracle-bone Inscription Calligraphy 甲骨文书法

The Chinese calligraphy is an art blending the use of lines, form and structure to express different temperament, character and sensibility. Oracle-bone inscriptions are just formed with lines. As the earliest carved characters, they are not born art of calligraphy. However, they have all the basic elements to become part of the art of calligraphy: strokes, structure and composition.
Along with the development of engraved art, they gradually attracted the attention of writers and observers, and provided a new way of expressing artists’ sentiment and artistic conception. That was how calligraphy finally developed into a form of art. The oracle-bone inscriptions of the Shang dynasty had become the first group of unique engraved calligraphy works, the artistic feature of which is still influencing the style of calligraphers today.
There are different calligraphic styles of oracle-bone inscriptions: free and unrestricted, upright and powerful, elegant and integrated, bold and unconstrained, plain and simple. The styles vary because the materials used in the creation of inscriptions vary.
Oracle-bone inscriptions are seen on hard materials, such as bones or tortoise shell, and are the earliest type of Chinese seal character.
Compared with other scripts, the oracle-bone inscriptions involve more horizontal and vertical lines, and some curved line as well. They have straight and settled strokes, plain and fixed structure. Frequent use of square turning makes it plain and simple. The type face also emphasises symmetry. Although without the mature, elegant and beautiful characters of later calligraphy, its invitation of exploration and beauty of simplicity had influenced calligraphy for thousands of years and was irreplaceable by any other calligraphy in its mature period.
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中国书法是靠线条、形体、结构来体现气质、品格、情感境界的。甲骨文就是由一条条的线组成的,它作为最早的刻画文字,就实践的观念而言,它不是一种自觉的书法艺术,但却具备了笔法、字法、章法等书法艺术的形式要素,可以算得上是真正的书法艺术。
随着契刻的发展,慢慢地成为书者注意的对象,并进入观察者的视野。它成为一种新的表达感情和描绘意境方式,并将书写最终发展成为一门艺术奠定了基础。因此,在不自觉中,殷商时代的书写已在龟甲骨上留下了第一批独具特色的契刻书法作品,其笔形艺术特色对今人书法创作仍有很大影响。
甲骨文的书法风格很多,有自由、豪放、端整、雄浑、高雅、和谐、粗旷、舒畅、朴拙、简朴。风格之所以各不相同,是因为作为早期的书写文字,材料、工具这些物质因素对于书法风格有着相当大的决定作用。
甲骨文被刻在硬体物质,如骨头与龟甲上,是中国文字篆书中最早的类型。
与其它书体相比,甲骨文直线、横线所占的比重大,中间有一些斜曲之线。笔画干脆利落,朴实纯正;结体以方折为主,反映了那种质朴的特征。形体以对称的方法构成。尽管没有后世书法的圆熟、优美、俊逸,但其中所蕴涵的探索之味、稚拙之美,影响了数千年的书法追求,这是任何成熟时期的书法所不能替代的。

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Master the Chinese Brush 笔法重要

It is said that good calligraphy begins with the ability to control, manipulate and master the Chinese brush. Brushwork is therefore the soul of Chinese calligraphy. It emphasizes the strength of the strokes, the application of the brush, the lines and shapes; the strength or weakness of the brushwork contributes to the success or failure of a calligraphy work.
What makes for good brushwork? It is not an easy matter to convey the idea of good brushwork to people who have not been tutored in the Chinese cultural tradition and who have not learned how to handle the writing brush, to realise its remarkable qualities. Good brushwork must come from long and arduous training and practice.
The following passage is extracted from the Battle Formation of the Brushstroke (Bizhen Tu), a text attributed to Wei Furen (272-349), the most famous female calligrapher in China:
In recent years, people are not interested in learning from our ancient masters. They learn calligraphy by following their emotion and do not follow the proper techniques. They only remember the names. They are limited in knowledge, and poor in information. They are doomed to be fruitless in spite of their time and energy. Lacking in sensibility, they are simply beyond teaching. To set a yardstick for coming generations, I now listed here are seven strokes and their descriptions after the wonderful example of Li Si.
The first thing to learn in calligraphy is how to hold a brush. For regular script (kaishi), hold the brush at two inches from its tip; for semi-cursive and cursive script, hold it at three inches from its tip. To write a stroke, apply the strength of the whole body to the brush. Always begin with writing big characters, not small characters. Calligraphy by those good in brush strength has much bone; that by those not good in brush strength has much flesh. Calligraphy that has much bone but slight flesh is called sinew-writing; that with much flesh bone but slight bone is called ink-pig. Calligraphy with much strength and rich in sinew is of sage-like quality; that with neither strength nor sinew is sick. Every writer proceeds in accordance with the manifestation of their digestion and respiration of energy.
一[横] is like a cloud formation stretching a thousand miles, indistinct, but not without form.
丶[点] is like a stone falling from a high peak, bouncing and crashing, about to shatter.
丿[撇] is like the tusk of an elephant or horn of rhinoceros (thrust into and) broken by ground.
乙[折] is like fired from a three-thousand pound crossbow.
丨[竖] is like a ten thousand years old withered vine.
丶[捺] is like crashing waves or rolling thunder.
刁[横折弯钩,replaced by刁] is like the sinews and joints of a mighty bow.
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一般而言,好的书法始于对毛笔控制、操作与掌握的能力。书法强调笔力、用笔、线与形;笔法之强弱决定作品之成败。
什么是好笔法?要对那些没有学过中华文化与没有学过用笔的人说明好笔法这个概念,那是件不容易的事。好的笔法来自长期与艰辛的训练与练习。
以下节录自《笔阵图》,据说是中国最著名的女书法家卫夫人写的:
近代以来,殊不师古,而缘情弃道,才记姓名,或学不该赡,闻见又寡,致使成功不就,虚费精神,自非通灵感物,不可与谈斯道矣。今删李斯笔妙,更加润色,总七条并作其形容,列事如左,贻诸子孙,永为模范,庶将来君子时复览焉。凡学书字,先学执笔,若真书去笔头二寸一分,若行草书去笔头三寸一分执之。下笔点画波撇、屈曲,皆须尽一身之力而送之。初学先大书,不得从小。善鉴者不写,善写者不鉴。善笔力者多骨,不善笔力者多肉,多骨微肉者谓之筋书,多肉微骨者谓之墨猪。多力丰筋者圣,无力无筋者病。一一从其消息而用之。  
一[横]如千里阵云,隐隐然其实有形。  
丶[点]如高峰坠石,磕磕然实如崩也。  
丿[撇]陆断犀象。  
乙[折]百钧弩发。  
丨[竖]万岁枯藤。  
丶[捺]崩浪雷奔。  
刁[横折弯钩,以“刁”代替]劲弩筋节。

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Ma Ying-jeou 马英九

Ma Ying-jeou (Ma Yingjiu, born on July 13, 1950) is the incumbent President of the Republic of China (ROC). He formerly served as Justice Minister from 1993 to 1996, Mayor of Taipei from 1998 to 2006, and Chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 2005 to 2007.
Ma was elected Mayor of Taipei in 1998 and re-elected in 2002. He was elected Chairman of the Kuomintang by party members on July 16, 2005. He announced his resignation on February 13, 2007, after being indicted by the Taiwan High Prosecutors Office on charges of misuse of mayoral funds during his tenure as the mayor of Taipei; all charges were later cleared. Ma subsequently won the presidency in the ROC presidential election of 2008. He was sworn into office on May 20, 2008.
Ma’s father determined that his son be a broad-minded gentleman with a sense of national purpose, demanded that he study the Chinese classics and spend hours after school every day mastering Chinese calligraphy. And the father, a champion runner in high school and college, took him on long runs during his late teens after initially viewing him as too lazy to achieve athletic success.
Out of that upbringing came a fiercely determined man who sleeps five hours a night, jogs regularly at dawn - and won the presidency in the presidential election in 2008.
‘Although at the time I felt very much - well, sometimes — bothered, looking back I appreciate his role,” said Mr. Ma, recalling the many evenings he spent practicing brush strokes.
(Source: China Post, 2 Jan 09)
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马英九出生于1959年7月13日,是现任中华民国总统。之前,他于1993至1996年任司法部长,1998至2006年任台北市长,2005至2007年任中国国民党主席。
马英九是在1998年中选为台北市长,于2002年再次中选。2005年七月16日他被党员选为国民党主席。被台湾高等法院检察署控告在他担任台北市长期间滥用首长特别费后,他于2007年2月13日宣布辞职。后来,所有控状皆罪名不成立。之后在2008年,他赢得总统选举。
马英九的父亲决定,他的孩子应该成为一个有国家使命感的心胸广阔的君子,要求他阅读中国古典名著,每天要花几个小时练习书法。他的父亲本身是个高中与院校里的赛跑高手。由于早期认为马英九懒得成为田径运动员,在他十多岁时,带他一起长跑。
这样的教养,造成了一个意志坚强的马英九,每晚只睡五小时,傍晚经常跑步,和在2008年赢了总统选举。
回想起过去不少傍晚练习书法的岁月,他说:‘虽然有时会感到烦忧,可是回顾过去,我很感激父亲所付出的。’
(以上材料取自中国时报2009年1月2日的报道。)