The Rise Of Engraving And The Formation Of "calligraphy Classics"

According to the "traditional view" of calligraphy in modern times,learning the two Wang's style through copying a series of the engraved calligraphy models is the standard approach to beginners.However,in fact,this tradition is not as old as people may consider.This dissertation discusses how people constructed the "calligraphy classics"represented by the two Wang's series since the rise of engraved calligraphic model books in the Song Dynasty.The purpose of this study is to explain the significance of the rise of engraved model books.We argue that the rise of engraved model books is not only a change in the style of learning calligraphy but more importantly,it affects the changes of the style of Chinese calligraphy from the Song Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty on a more profound level.This directed the development of Chinese calligraphy history in the past one thousand years.On the one hand,this is reflected in the fact that due to the official authority of engraved model books in the Song Dynasty,the inscription has withdrawn from the Chinese calligraphy history,and the "model calligraphy era" in the history of Chinese calligraphy has begun.The main calligraphic models also have been transformed from the broad tradition of the Jin and Tang Dynasties to the two Wang's style since the Song Dynasty.On the other hand,it is reflected in the transformation of the method of learning.The appearance of engraved model books helped ordinary people to learn and appreciate calligraphy since they are easy to get.The popularity of the calligraphic model books makes calligraphy learning much more convenient than it was in the Tang Dynasty and before.The learning by copying method has become the primary means for people to learn calligraphy,which also ruled out other ways.These two changes are the dominant factors in the history of Chinese calligraphy of the Song Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty.This dissertation mainly focuses on the Song Dynasty but also provide a more general background of the era from Jin/Tang to Qing.It is divided into five chapters.The first chapter raises two questions:What is the contemporary common understanding of traditional calligraphy?What is the true state of traditional calligraphy learning?The second and third chapters compare the similarities and differences between the selection of classics for learning calligraphy in the Song Dynasty and Jin/Tang Dynasties.This will make the two transformations caused by the rise of engraving more clear.The fourth chapter studies the acceptance of engraved model books in the Song Dynasty.We divide the calligraphy learners from various social strata into three different groups:the royal family,the "four of Song," the general literati.The so-called general literati in Song Dynasty is the main group in the appreciation and collection activities for calligraphy.By studying their acceptance of the engraved model books,we can further understand the importance of engraved model books for people at that time.By analyzing their poetry,books on calligraphy,and calligraphy practice,this chapter explores how the society of Song Dynasty constructed the classic status of the "two Wang's."The fifth chapter concludes the dissertation by analyzing the influence of the rise of engraved model books in the Song Dynasty to the development of calligraphy in the next millennium.Through the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the representative calligraphic works of the Yuan,Ming and Qing Dynasties,this reveals the monopolistic shortcoming brought by the development of the engraved model books.The domination of learning calligraphy based on copying model books leads to uneven and one-sided development of calligraphy.This chapter also attempts to provide a broader range of possibilities for the methods of learning calligraphy and calligraphic practice in contemporary times.The propositions argued by this dissertation can be summarized as follows.First,the rise of engraved calligraphy model books makes the learning method of calligraphy in the Song and Qing Dynasties to be monopolistic.Secondly,the main way of learning calligraphy by copying models after the Song Dynasty has its limitations and it ignores the holographic nature of calligraphy learning.Thirdly,the "calligraphy classics" of the"two Wang's" were largely constructed by political intervention from the empire,and gradually formed the "tradition" in calligraphy as people see it now.