First, the emergence of calligraphy art
Oracle Bone Inscriptions, born in the middle and late Shang Dynasty, painted a single line, thin and powerful, showing his edge at times. The layout is mostly vertical, the lines are scattered, the size changes, and the density is good. These earliest remains of Chinese characters have three elements of calligraphy: brushwork, composition and structure. Especially from Oracle Bone Inscriptions's writing, it embodies the beauty of lines and the symmetry of word modeling. Therefore, the appearance of Oracle Bone Inscriptions laid the foundation of China's calligraphy art and marked the appearance of China's calligraphy art. Bronze inscriptions, or "Zhong Dingwen", appeared in the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, and their strokes are neat and thick, more round than Oracle Bone Inscriptions's beginning, receiving and flowing, with rich changes in form and tone. Mature bronze inscriptions are long in shape, symmetrical in size, and each department pays attention to coordination. Mao and Pan is his masterpiece. Judging from the bronze inscriptions left behind, the artistry of calligraphy is gradually enriched.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the country was divided and the society was in turmoil. Under different artistic pursuits, the vassal States developed towards their own aesthetic trends, forming a colorful situation of calligraphy art. For example, the mainstream of Oracle Bone Inscriptions and Jinwen always developed along the road of carving; Then in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the brush began to be widely used in calligraphy. The expressive force of the brush is rich, especially the inherent brushwork, which constitutes an important element of China's calligraphy in the future ── calligrapher's emotion, aesthetic taste and brushwork. From the rubbings of "Stone Drum" preserved in this period, it can be seen that the structure writing is more regular than the bronze inscriptions, with vigorous strokes and dense structure. "Shi Guwen" began to transform into Xiao Zhuan. It is not only the basis of unified writing in Qin dynasty, but also has a great influence on the calligraphy style of later generations.
Second, the development of calligraphy art.
After the reunification of Qin, Qin Shihuang ordered that "cars should be on the same track and books should be in the same language", and Prime Minister Li Si popularized Xiao Zhuan, which became an official script. The unity of characters laid the foundation for the maturity of calligraphy art. As can be seen from Li Si's Taishan Stone Carving, Xiao Zhuan has the characteristics of flat shape, eccentric strokes and complex structure, which makes it difficult to sketch as a text. As a result, Li Shu came into being with simple structure, rounded square and convenient for fast writing. Regarding the emergence of official script, Zhang Huaiguan, a calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty, said in the Book End: "Official script was written by Cheng Miao, a Qin native." Cheng Miao went to prison for his crimes. He compiled 3,000-word official script in prison, which was appreciated by Qin Shihuang. His crimes were pardoned and made imperial history. This is a rumor, although it is not credible, but the emergence of official script in Qin dynasty has become a conclusion, but official script in Qin dynasty still has many meanings of seal script. In the Han dynasty, official script gradually occupied a dominant position, became the official standard font, and entered the stereotypes period. The strokes of the official script in Han Dynasty are relatively straight, with simple structure and obvious twists and turns, especially the inscriptions, which are exquisite. At the same time, in order to make the characters neat and easy to write, the official script provides a special form for the single word used as the radical. For example, when the word "Dao" is on the right, it is written as "Xian", which makes the official script easier to remember and write than the seal script and meets the requirements of the development of the times. The style formed by writing with a pen is both solemn and changeable. This font inherits the seal script and the ancient official script, with regular script at the bottom and a brush. Therefore, official script plays an important role in calligraphy art.
When people use words, they always want them to be easier to recognize and write, especially when things are urgent and busy. At the same time, in the evolution from seal script to official script, cursive script came into being due to the rapid writing of brush and the development of brushwork. Zhang Huaiguan in the Tang Dynasty said in "The End of the Story": "In the Han and Yuan Dynasties, You made a hasty chapter ... This is a provincial character outline, which broke the rules of official script and made you flee in haste. Because of the meaning of grass, it was called cursive script." The cursive script in this period contains official meanings, and the strokes are often wavy, and there is no attachment between words, which is called "Cao Zhang". Its representatives are Du Du and Cai Yong. "Xuan He Shu Pu" said: "Sweeping the floor by self-moving method is really a matter of detention, and grass is a matter of release. There is something in between." That is to say, after the disintegration of the official law, what is written more accurately becomes a real book (regular script), what is written more closely becomes a cursive script, and what is between the real grass is a running script. At this point, several writing forms of Chinese characters have emerged. Writing is not only practical, but also aesthetic feeling and enjoyment have become the driving force for development, and calligraphy art has entered a mature stage.