Hard pen calligraphy is the art of writing Chinese characters with hard pen. However, the concept of' hard pen' cannot be defined as the following two categories: one is semi-automatic writing tools created by western industrial civilization, such as pencils, pens, ballpoint pens, fountain pens, etc.; The other is traditional tools such as bamboo pens and feather pens, and it is difficult to confirm the source. The traces left by these two tools on paper and other media through various media have certain artistry and can be called "hard pen calligraphy". With the development of calligraphy, the artistry of lines has been paid more and more attention by the book circle. Shen Peng, a famous contemporary calligrapher, once said: "Among the elements of calligraphy performance, I value lines the most. Lines are the most important means and bridge from lines to verve, or genes. " The differences in calligraphy styles, calligraphers' fonts and the quality of calligraphy works are also related to the differences in line characteristics and levels. The creation of calligraphy works is first of all a unique discovery and creation of the beauty of lines. It can be seen that line is the gene of calligraphy, the symbol of calligraphy style and taste, and the first priority of calligraphy creation.

Does the term line (or concept) apply to hard pen calligraphy? People often think that the pen line is thin, hard, revealing and simple, so we should give up or downplay the pursuit of its line and pay attention to the exploration of its knot, composition and charm. This view is a misunderstanding of "pen writing". The brush still talks about how to write a lot of big characters, and the pen also talks about how to write a lot of big characters with a thick pen. Compared with the written words, the main contradiction is that the pen is thin or the words are big. As far as the meaning of hard pen calligraphy is concerned, there should be a set of pens with different thickness and elasticity, plus carefully selected paper and pads. Facts can prove that pen lines can move from single to rich. The maturity of hard pen calligraphy lies in the perfection of its lines, which not only has the general attributes of calligraphy lines, but also has the unique characteristics of hardness and elasticity, thus forming independent hard pen calligraphy lines.

The lines of hard-pen calligraphy are so important, but they are very weak in practice, so I want to make a systematic discussion on the nature, types and aesthetic value of the lines of hard-pen calligraphy in this paper, so as to attract more attention.

First, the essence of hard pen calligraphy lines

"The nature of hard pen calligraphy lines is generally located in the word' bone-shaped tendons and micro-flesh'. Specifically, there are nine attributes, namely' nine senses': one is' sense of form'. Its shape is derived from' taking things far away, taking the body near', and its potential lies in the bone, which is naturally caused, while the micro-meat is entangled, and its shape is straight, if it is a needle, if it is a cone, if it is withered, etc. Or curved, snake-shaped, orchid-leaf-shaped, boat-shaped and so on. Second, the "sense of force". Those who are good at writing are bony, and those who are strong or weak are holy. Bone is born of force, and the force of the pen depends on the direction and size of the force. It's not that there is a sense of force in the stool, but that there is a sense of force in people who are good at strength. People who are good at strength are steady and natural with pens, and have a sense of power through the back of the paper. " (1) three words "sense of law". Rhythm. It is composed of the changing rhythm of force, writing speed, line thickness and so on. Rhythm is the rhythm of yin and yang changes in all aspects, and it is the unity of rhythm and rhythm of heart, feeling and touch. Fourth, "sense of meaning". It is the image of natural objects borrowed by lines and its abstract "primitive beauty". It is simple, basic, typical and rich. "Shen Peng once said,' Everything is simply contained, and richness is often comprehensive'. The words "texture" are the "inner beauty" and "true beauty" of lines. Frustrated, smart, ugly, flattering, vulgar, elegant, modern or ancient, and so on. This feeling is cultivated by efforts inside and outside the text. Six words' static feeling'. Quiet people are steady but single, because the lines are simple and rough; Actors flying also depends on the richness and diversity of lines and the connection between lines. Regular script lines are mainly static, supplemented by dynamic and static. (2) The word "sexy", that is, "sense of style", is a reflection of the hard-pen calligrapher's personal style, writing habits, basic skills and aesthetic taste. " Sexy "is typical, unique, referential and can be used for reference, which is the mature performance of calligraphers." Eight words "implicit sense." The simplicity of lines is not straight. The most taboo to write a book with hard pen is hidden wave; The implication of lines is manifested in the "neutralization" of aesthetic thoughts and the gradual and micro-motion (even imperceptible) unity of pen composite force. (3) September's "transference" is a "sense of expression" of transplanting, transforming, refining and simplifying the lines of brush calligraphy. Although it is a hard pen calligraphy line, it smells like a brush.

Modern hard-pen calligraphy is rooted in traditional brush calligraphy and denied by brush calligraphy, which all depends on the characteristics of hard-pen calligraphy. This is especially true for hard pen calligraphy lines.

Second, the types of hard pen calligraphy lines

If the line nature is its "connotation", then the line type is its extension. The types of hard pen calligraphy lines are gradually enriched with its occurrence, development and prosperity, which is really varied. "But according to the source of line derivation, its logic can be divided into three types, namely: smooth lines, smooth overlapping lines and lines between engraving." (4)

(1) emphasizes the "smooth lines" of the pen. This line is due to the fluency and convenience of pen writing. Pang Zhonghua and Gu Zhongan advocated this route in 1980s. On the basis of translation, Pang Zhonghua pays attention to the change of strength, smooth lines and varying thickness, and uses a simple, practical and beautiful pen. Gu Zhongan's regular script lines pay attention to the proper strengthening of the pen, but the force is even, and its lines are dignified and single. Later, people began to pay attention to the whole process of line writing, paying attention to the changes at both ends and in the middle, and formed this standard line, which is practical and beautiful, and is deeply loved by calligraphy lovers and practical hard-pen calligraphers.

(2), draw lessons from the brush calligraphy lines-"smooth" lines. Early calligraphers who dabbled in hard pen calligraphy were mostly brush calligraphers, such as Deng Sanmu, who emphasized the characteristics of imitating brush lines, but this was only the beginning, but it was gratifying. "In the 1980s, hard-pen calligraphy became hot, and the hard-pen calligraphy circle began to pay attention to the interpretation of brush lines with hard-pen techniques, resulting in' smooth lines'. Its appearance is the inevitable development of hard-pen calligraphy and the crystallization of the era of traditional brushwork. For lines with heavy astringency, the strokes are reversed or the strokes with uniform or uneven strength are used, while for lines with astringency and coincidence, the' small and soft front tone' is often used, which makes the forward front become a front or a reverse. " (5) Obviously, this kind of line is traditional and artistic, which is quite sticky and is favored by the book circle.

(3) Draw lessons from the "between engraving and writing" line of seal cutting single knife method. Oracle Bone Inscriptions, a ghost writer with a knife, has a great influence on pen calligraphy with hard objects, because of the single-knife seal cutting, the boundary between seal cutting and the vast forest of steles. Xie proposed that "the essence of hard pen calligraphy is defined between writing and seal cutting" and "the castle peak is not relaxed". This line has not only ink marks, but also deep scratches, and the back of the work is rough and uneven. Its brush first rushes into the paper, and the lines are pressed down hard, and the paper is fed deeply, or the pen is stopped or closed. Its lines have the charm of "simplicity, strength and sharp edges" (6) This line is quite "golden stone" and sometimes has a strong "monument flavor", which is deeply loved by the book circle.

Third, the beauty of lines in hard pen calligraphy

The art of hard pen calligraphy is the art of lines. Line is the most basic element in calligraphy. In China's plastic arts, line is the simplest, most general, simplest and most profound, and it is a symbol of human life. Kazuki Watanabe musician Murakami, a modern Japanese painter, said that' line is the most fundamental thing that runs through the whole universe'. (7) Lines are the medium for calligraphers to express their expressions, spirits, temperament and knowledge. When we appreciate a calligraphy work, the first thing we see is lines, which is also a bridge between the appreciator and the calligrapher. Through lines, the viewer can enjoy spiritual beauty and comfort, purify and shock the soul. Line is the theme and soul of hard pen calligraphy. As the pursuit of pure art, calligraphers can firmly grasp the lines and repeatedly "temper" and "eulogize". If the lines of the brush can deform freely and quickly between points and lines, the lines of the hard pen can only dance with their thin figure. This kind of congenital deficiency makes the hard pen only pay attention to points and lines in the form of expression.

However, in recent years, the upsurge of hard pen calligraphy has risen, but in this vast land of hard altar, many excellent works have emerged. These works have different styles, either beautiful, old, strong or frustrated ... which fully prove that the lines of hard pen have their own significance and special aesthetic value. Then, where is the aesthetic value of hard pen calligraphy lines? "Du Fu, a famous poet in the Tang Dynasty, wrote a famous sentence on brush calligraphy, which is a wonderful forward-looking comment on the lines of hard-pen calligraphy. (8) Compared with brush calligraphy, the basic morphological feature of hard pen calligraphy is "thin", and the essence of tools makes its feature reflected in "hard", not stiff, but gives the viewer a feeling of needles in a cotton bag. Refine its ideals and vitality with stylized terms. Strong, strong, like a towering tower, stability is overwhelming and full of beauty; A healthy person is full of vigor and vitality, which is the track cultivated when elastic tension comes into contact with paper. It's not a drag bottle or a dragonfly. In fact, compared with its brush calligraphy, hard pen is much faster to reach the level of pen and pen heart. "Mrs. Jin Wei's" Bi Tu "mentioned:' A good writer is skinny, and a meaty person is called Jin Shu'". (9) "Mi Fei in the" Reading Notes on Self-reported Learning "discussed it more profoundly:' If you get a sum of money, you can call it a good scholar. The pen is different, the three characters and three paintings are different, and the installation is different; Paying attention to differences is naive and natural. ..... Moreover, although the pen is as thin as sideburns, it is also round, and it is not allowed to be as thick as citron. Although this is a result, you can also learn' ". (10) So, just like bones, healthy as meat, the ontological tone of hard-pen calligraphy lines can be roughly determined.

With a certain tone, we can measure the performance of lines in works. The appreciation of a hard-pen calligraphy work, like other works of art, should first pay attention to the overall beauty. The division of positive and negative space and the rhythm of contrast between black and white blocks are all the results of the organic coordination of line length, thickness, Fiona Fang, positive edge and density. In the abstract, it is the shape formed by the dotted line in a certain time and space according to a certain rhythm. After scanning the whole, the basic point, line and surface quality is the focus of our further appreciation. Traditional brush calligraphy always puts the pursuit of dotted lines at a very high level. Even when evaluating a calligrapher's works, we often look at the skill of lines first and advocate that all strokes have no source. For hard pen calligraphy, the limitation of tool characteristics makes the standard of brush calligraphy called unrealistic frame of reference. However, if we leave the points and lines of the work to ourselves to edit and express, and do not refer to the valuable experience of our predecessors at all, I am afraid that the appreciation of the work will be greatly reduced. After all, history has proved that the lack of rational tempering of lines will not produce truly perfect works, and its style may be popular for a while, but it will never be defiled. The masterpieces of calligraphy masters such as Erwang, Yan Zhenqing, Mi Fei and Wang Duo can be proved. Therefore, to improve the quality of lines in a calligraphy work is to improve the artistry of calligraphy works to a certain extent. Under the vigorous tone, the aesthetic standards that high-quality hard pen calligraphy lines should have can be divided into:

(1) The beauty of strength is the psychological projection of the application of writing strength to the viewer. This force cannot be simply understood as a physical concept. Although writing requires power, this so-called power is an ingenious power in calligraphy, which is a natural movement produced by the operation skills of hands, fingers and wrists under the high coordination and control of consciousness, combined with the writer's own aesthetic concept and writing experience. The feeling reflected is generally "stiff". In this respect, there are many stresses in ancient calligraphy terms, such as penetrating the back of paper, Qi Li, full strength and critical brushwork. "China's calligraphy emphasizes brushwork since childhood, but there is also a process. In the era of Oracle Bone Inscriptions, the expression of brushwork was unconscious and limited by tools. You want to carve with a knife, of course, you don't think about whether the brushwork is powerful or not. By the time of official script in Han Dynasty, lines should be fully expressed, but the sense of strength of lines has not been absolutely valued, and lines still exist attached to words. Until the end of the Han Dynasty, especially after the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, the real initiative to pursue the sense of line power was marked by the proposal of Cai Wei's nine potentials. " (1 1) Hard-pen calligraphy uses different tools, but both are calligraphy, and they must have the same internal relations. I think hard pen is better than brush pen in expressing beauty. Hard is not blunt, but a symbol of hard power. This force has nothing to do with natural forces. It is a feeling, the accumulation of calligraphers' skills in long-term calligraphy practice, and the Force is the embodiment of well-trained pen and ink skills. Without a pen, the whole work would look lifeless. This "power" endows hard-pen calligraphy works with the meaning of life. "Life comes from movement, and only when it is strong will there be movement. When it moves, it will have a direct effect on the lines: thickness, dryness and wetness, length, change, liveliness, movement and texture. " (12) Hard-pen calligraphy works strive for this effect. "Strength is like iron pulling a silver hook, and softness is like iron wrapped in cotton. Although the styles are different, they all show the beauty of common strength in their works in different ways. The beauty of dynamic works lies in that it allows the viewer to appreciate the elegance of life and the rhythm of the soul in this solidified and static glyph. If the brushwork is weak, the beauty of calligraphy cannot be fully expressed and exerted. " ( 13)

(2) The beauty of rhythm and the existence of rhythm are a kind of living and lively existence. We found a kind of vitality from the sense of rhythm, and then realized the value of life in the vitality. Brush calligraphy can show many calligraphers' personalities, so can hard pen calligraphy, in which each calligrapher's unique life value is cast. Pang Zhonghua is Pang Zhonghua, and Wang Zhengliang is Wang Zhengliang. Furthermore, the vitality of every calligrapher embodies the aesthetic value of line rhythm. Such as: space rhythm, writing rhythm, blank rhythm, direction rhythm, etc. "Hard pen, although the tip of the pen is less elastic, can't be as strange as a brush, but to show the rhythm of line thickness change, we must pay attention to the changes of lifting, receiving and writing in the pen, which is what the ancients said,' One wave often twists and turns', otherwise the line will look pale and weak, like a dead snake." (14) None of them are full of energy.

(3) Three-dimensional beauty This is a contradiction, because the lines themselves are flat, and it is impossible to reach the physical standards of the length, width and height of three-dimensional space. There is no stereoscopic effect, and the lines are thin and boring, which is unsightly. The real three-dimensional sense should be calm and vigorous, which can make people feel the rich information contained between the lines. In fact, the hard pen tool is not made of Marriott like a brush, and its pen head structure is composed of two thin steel sheets; Simply put, the three-dimensional sense emphasized by calligraphy is an abstract and refined space. In the creation of specific hard-pen calligraphy works, it has its own form because of the different calligraphy styles and aesthetic tastes of the writers. For example, Xie Jidong's running script is fluent, mainly exposed, and the lines are clear and powerful. The author seems to prefer fluency and beauty. Wang Zhengliang's masterpiece "Wen Xin Diao Long" has strong brushwork, restrained lines, elegant and subtle, beautiful and clear. With his profound brush calligraphy skills, the author let the audience appreciate another style of hard pen lines.

To sum up, as Shen Peng said: "The lines are simple and the most abundant; Simplicity is difficult, so its richness is more valuable and rare. " (15) After exploring the material form and aesthetic standards of hard-pen calligraphy lines layer by layer, if we dig deeper, we will inevitably touch the noumenon of the lines. Line is the external state of the author's inner meaning. Robert henri, an American artist, said:' Behind every real work of art is the arrival of the state of being. That is, a moment longer than an ordinary moment of existence, whether this activity depends on a brush, a pen, a chisel or language, the result is only a by-product of this state. "(16) In short, every hard-pen calligraphy work can be called the writer's" emotional story "and a condensed record of every life segment. As far as hard-pen calligraphy is concerned, the works are the aesthetic display of hard-pen lines from form to spirit, and the traces of poetic experience in this moment of life condensed on paper through the pen tip. Therefore, every calligrapher's isometric works are not only the evolutionary history of his book style, but also the record of his life.

As a linear hard pen calligraphy, it needs the infinite charm of artistic lines, and as an independent hard pen calligraphy art, it needs the independence of hard pen calligraphy lines. As a fan of hard-pen calligraphy, how to grasp the noumenon tone of lines and skillfully use it, how to accurately express the deep connotation of writing content, make them combine harmoniously and enrich the morphological interest of lines will be our long-term exploration topic.

Pang Zhonghua's good ~ ~! ! ! ! !