PREFACE

___ My Understanding of The Art of Calligraphy

With abstruse doctrine and light flavor,

It can’t be comprehend by an ordinary person.

With obscure principles and profound meaning,

It has few under heaven to fully understand its essence.

___ Zhang Huaiguan, Tang Dynasty, On Calligraphy

Calligraphy of China has extensive knowledge and profound scholarship. “It is really difficult to be explained in ordinary words and surveyed in general wisdom.”[1] I began to study The Art of Calligraphy when going to abstain from learning calligraphy further. I remember that having finished the study of primary, intermediate and senior grades at a “calligraphy school”, I was perplexed with my superficial understanding and mechanical practice of calligraphy and with little improvement. At that time, I was at a loss what to do. What is writing with a writing-brush? What is the art of calligraphy? “It seems that the introduction is known, but the profound and subtle essence still remains unknown.”[2] Although I had studied some articles on the theory of calligraphy, such as the “Nine Styles of Brushwork” of Cai Yong and the “Eight Strokes of Yong (the Chinese character 永) of Madam Wei, as to The Art of Calligraphy I was only told that it is a masterpiece on calligraphic theory with terse comments, exquisite diction and consummate calligraphic principles. In addition, the authentic brushwork of the author is considered as a bright pearl in the treasure-house of calligraphic art, continuously radiating with extraordinary splendor for more than a thousand years; especially since Song Dynasty, whoever studies calligraphy looks up to the famous work as the standard. I thought, if I could not acquire any new perception of learning calligraphy after studying The Art of Calligraphy, I had to “give up” practicing.

It is known that being written in parallel prose and full of allusions, The Art of Calligraphy is rather difficult to understand. At first, I had the aid of lots of reference books and materials for a better understanding of the work, and after some time, I finally obtained scanty knowledge about it. A further improvement in comprehension was achieved only during my study at “Wang Xuezhong Art Institute of Tianjin University”, where Prof. Wang, a famous calligrapher and painter, offered the course of “Research on the Art of Calligraphy”. Prof. Wang’s teaching not only made me fully comprehend the essence of the book, but also aroused my strong interest in calligraphy. The experience there enlightened me in two aspects.