2. Introduction:
Xia Zhiyun: A scholar is an artist who is unswerving in art.
He is a folk calligrapher and has won 26 awards at home and abroad. However, he has been living in poverty and poverty, and even for a long time, he has no food to eat. He doesn't want to turn his work into money as a commodity.
The so-called "starvation is a trivial matter, and shame is a major matter." "I would rather starve to death than blaspheme art" became his survival rule.
Calligraphers can't afford to eat for art
No.44 Huafu Lane, Yuzhong District, an old-fashioned residential building on the first floor of the eighth floor in the 1980s. Climbing to the top floor along the dilapidated stairs, there is a small house with an area of only 3 1 square meter. It's hot in Leng Xia in winter here, but before summer, mosquitoes are jumping around the house.
Mr. Xia Zhiyun, whose business card says "Senior Calligraphy Artist, Director of the Board of Directors of China Calligraphy Artists Association, Gold Medal Winner of China Calligraphy and Painting Competition", lives here. This room is not his, but a friend gave him asylum when he saw that he couldn't afford to eat.
Because I seldom go out, no one in the neighborhood knows that this calligraphy "everyone" actually lives in this shabby house.
At noon on the 5th, the reporter met 57-year-old Xia Zhiyun here. He wears a decent dark suit, which he wears every time he receives an award. There was a coat with several holes lying casually on the sofa. Before opening the door, he suddenly remembered to change it. There are also three disposable lunch boxes on the table, which are used to hold the unfinished food and rice after someone invited him to a small restaurant outside at noon.
Xia Zhiyun carefully brought the reporter into his study. This is the largest room in the family, and also the most luxurious place in this home improvement-wooden floor, exquisite bookcase, full of trophies and certificates.
Half of the house is occupied by a big desk. There are more than ten old brushes on the desk, one of which is blunt. Xia Zhiyun said that this pen is the most expensive one he has ever used. 8 yuan was found at the stall in Chaotianmen. The most expensive thing on the table is a delicate inkstone with two dragons engraved on it. This inkstone worth tens of thousands was given to Xia Zhiyun by a staff member of the Three Gorges Museum a year ago. But Xia Zhiyun has been reluctant to use it. He just keeps it with clean water every day and puts it on the table to decorate the countertop. There is also a worn-out inkstone under the desk, which he usually uses, and it also contains the ink left after he wrote the day before. "It is reasonable for me to use fresh ink every time I write, but it is a pity for me to dump the inexhaustible ink." This inkstone was bought by his brother-in-law for 30 yuan five years ago.
The wall of the study is covered with the master's calligraphy works, and his two most proud works are hung in the most conspicuous places. One is the official script "Sword and Heart" collected by the Three Gorges Museum earlier this year; The other is that he copied the cursive script Four Ancient Poems written by Zhang Xu, a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty.
Looking around his humble room, Xia Zhiyun is a little embarrassed, but more proud. Especially when he saw those trophies and certificates, his dim eyes lit up at once. Suffer the hardships of life and fall in love with calligraphy art
Xia Zhiyun, who has only a junior high school education, taught himself brush calligraphy from an early age. 1972, as an educated youth who returned to the city, was arranged to be an inspector in Chongqing Radio Test Instrument Factory. This year, he got married. In his spare time, he took out pen, ink, paper and inkstone to write some poems. "At that time, calligraphy was just a hobby, killing time."
This marriage only lasted 198 1 year. After the divorce, the only daughter followed her mother. Xia Zhiyun said that because his wife complained that he couldn't make money, he only wrote useless words.
Divorce has brought a heavy blow to Xia Zhiyun, but he is a proud man. He didn't tell anyone about his divorce except his sister. "I didn't file for divorce, so I feel embarrassed."
After the divorce, Xia Zhiyun had no fixed address and had to go back to his parents' home. "At that time, my mother had passed away, my sister got married, my sister and her son, and my father lived in a small house with one room and one living room. After I went, I had to squeeze on the balcony with my nephew. This residence is 15, and I didn't move here until 1996. "
It was in this 15 year that he used calligraphy to relieve the pain that he had never told anyone in his heart. He began to systematically study the essence of China's calligraphy, looking for emotional sustenance. Li Qingzhao's sadness and Xin Qiji's boldness are the most concentrated emotional expressions in his calligraphy works during this period.
From 1995, Xia Zhiyun's enterprise was on the verge of bankruptcy until the social security policy was implemented in 2005. During the period of 10, Xia Zhiyun did not receive a penny of salary. In order not to affect his favorite calligraphy art, he didn't go to work, and his life depended on his sister's family. At that time, he didn't feel like a man.
Economic pressure and men's dignity tormented Xia Zhiyun at the same time, making him almost collapse. Whenever he is about to collapse, he is immersed in the spiritual world of his calligraphy art, looking for a trace of psychological happiness and inner peace.
1988, Xia Zhiyun, who had never received professional training in calligraphy, won the first prize in his life-the second prize in a national painting and calligraphy competition. Although it was an unofficial competition, he was very excited, and the bright red certificate made him more desperate to bury himself in his career.
Keep your money and eat corn soup every day.
Xia Zhiyun is confident in his calligraphy, and his evaluation of himself is: very distinctive and unique. He said that each of his works can't find the shadow of a calligrapher, but combines the strengths of many families, and then integrates into modern aesthetics, which has its own characteristics. Xia Zhiyun has great confidence in his calligraphy attainments.
He doesn't allow any flaws in his works: "Every work of mine represents the highest level of my creation." A friend once secretly picked up the calligraphy works thrown away by Xia Zhiyun, framed them and gave them away. When Xia Zhiyun knew, he almost turned against this friend. He said that this not only insulted him as a calligrapher, but also insulted his art.
At present, Xia Zhiyun has won 26 calligraphy awards at home and abroad. On April 5th, 2004, experts from China Calligraphy and Painting Collectors Association and China Calligraphy and Painting Collection Editorial Committee evaluated his calligraphy works-"The collection standard is RMB 8,000 per square meter".
"By this standard, I am a millionaire now!" Xia Zhiyun said half-jokingly, revealing a trace of pride in his look.
But Xia Zhiyun will never see the shadow of a millionaire in his life. Although he can get 2 10 yuan's living expenses from the Social Security Bureau every month since 2005, his material life is not even as good as that of a low-income household, because he has to spend most of his money on paper and ink-although he bought the cheapest one.
To Xia Zhiyun's delight, 1996, he finally has his own house. An old friend in the IT field felt sorry for him and gave him a clean house to live in. This year is also the most difficult year for his economy. He borrowed 8000 yuan from his sister to decorate the house. In order to save money, we do everything ourselves-making doors, laying floors, painting walls, making furniture and painting. ...
Xia Zhiyun said that since he began to decorate his house, he has been eating corn soup for seven months in a row and can only eat two meals a day. During that time, he didn't even drink at every meal. It was also in these seven months that Xia Zhiyun won two national calligraphy gold medals. He said that when he saw these two golden cups, he felt that he was eating meat.
In the most difficult days, with the increase of his winning times, people kept asking Mo Bao, and Xia Zhiyun was always responsive. It is suggested that he earn some money from it to tide over the financial difficulties. However, Xia Zhiyun never takes money. If the guests want to install it, they will go outside to collect the cost price and insist on not making a penny difference. He said: "Pure art is not a commodity. I am engaged in art, a pure art. " If anyone wants it, I'll send it. I won't sell my art as a commodity. "
Protect works of art from the smell of copper
10 for many years, acquaintances have constantly introduced children to learn from teachers, and Xia Zhiyun has accepted it, but he never charges a penny for tuition. I can only agree to drink a little wine and eat a meal at most. "Calligraphy is a treasure of the Chinese nation. I'm so happy if young people are willing to learn. How can I collect money? "
Simple spiritual enjoyment can't meet the material needs at all. Xia Zhiyun always understood this truth, but when this contradiction involved calligraphy, he completely ignored it. The so-called "starvation is small, dishonor is big", and what he said most was "I would rather starve to death than desecrate art, and let my calligraphy art be stained with tacky copper smell".
Xia Zhiyun married his current wife Wang Le 1999. After the marriage, Xia Zhiyun's daughter broke away from her father because she was dissatisfied with his father's marriage to another woman, and has not heard from her for nearly eight years. Xia Zhiyun was sad for less than a month and figured it out: "Nothing can be forced, just like others can't force me to give up calligraphy."
After remarriage, Xia Zhiyun kept a clear line with his wife Wang Le economically. "We have feelings, but I won't use her a penny, or it will be tacky." Regarding her husband's infatuation, Wang Le only said, "I appreciate his talent."
The day of June+10 in 5438 this year was the most humiliating day for Xia Zhiyun. Lin Lang, a friend, said that this day was also the day when he began to "begin to understand".
Because of this day, Xia Zhiyun "accidentally" sold a cursive script "Qinyuanchun Snow", and sold it as soon as it was sold 13000 yuan.
Before, a man found Xia Zhiyun and asked him to write a picture for him to take abroad and give it away, asking for luxury mounting. It took Xia Zhiyun half a month to make this painting "Spring and Snow in the Qinyuan", and it took more than 1000 yuan to frame it. The prepaid mounting fee was borrowed by Xia Zhiyun, and he is going to charge the mounting fee as usual. But when the man came to answer the phone, he left 13000 yuan in cash and left. With this huge sum of money, Xia Zhiyun hasn't recovered for a long time. When he reacted and chased the door, he was gone. Xia Zhiyun only knows that this person has gone abroad, and he feels that the money he shouldn't have collected can't be returned.
Xia Zhiyun didn't sleep well for a week. He has never been so rich or so miserable. Should we put the spirit before the material and continue to "observe the festival" for art? Or should we put material things before spirit and find ways to turn our artworks into commodities to sell? For three months, Xia Zhiyun has been suffering from this contradiction and pain: "Is my previous idea wrong?" He began to re-examine himself.
At the beginning of this year, the Three Gorges Museum collected two calligraphy works of Xia Zhiyun and opened a private exhibition hall for him. (