Research On The "literary Quality" Of Chinese Calligraphy

"Wen" and "Zhi" are important categories in traditional Chinese literary theory.The theory of Wen Zhi is also a vital topic in the theory of Chinese classical literature and art.Generally speaking,"Wen" refers to form,elegance,decoration,appearance,literary grace,beauteousness,etc.while "Zhi" refers to content,plain,artlessness,nature,texture,disposition,etc.Thus,the relationship between "Wen" and "Zhi" can be grasped from three dimensions.In terms of art’s development,"Wen" changes "Ye" and "Wen" changes "Zhi" are signs of artistic self-consciousness.From the perspective of ontology,art is a language by which artists express and convey their emotions.In terms of product review,"Wen" and "Zhi" are important categories of style aesthetics.Due to the particularity of the expression and connotation of calligraphy,the connotation of "Wen" and "Zhi" and their relations have their own particularity.Therefore,systematical research on the connotation and evolution of the theory of Wen Zhi in calligraphy should be based on the historical existence of the development of calligraphy art and also combined with the corresponding social culture and ideology.Taking the perspective of the meaning and relationship of "Wen" and "Zhi" as an entry point,the main research content of this paper is to systematically analyze and explore the origin,the development and the construction process of the theory of Wen Zhi in Chinese calligraphy.Firstly,this paper summarizes the basic meaning of "Wen" and "Zhi" from the perspective of etymology,and also sorts out the ideological basis of Wen Zhi in Chinese calligraphy from Confucianism and Taoism.Secondly,the theory of Wen Zhi is produced with the self-consciousness of Chinese calligraphy.The literati in the Han and Jin dynasties discussed the aesthetic values and related concepts of "Wen" and "Zhi" of Chinese calligraphy.Literati-calligraphy developed from disorder to order.“Simplicity,which is replaced by beauteousness nowadays,was pursued in ancient society.” This sentence summarizes the development logic of calligraphy aesthetics ideology in this period.Thirdly,the previous theoretical achievements about the theory of Wen Zhi in calligraphy was summarized in Tang Dynasty.Fully considering both “Wen” and “Zhi”,Sun Guoting prefers to a kind of graceful harmony between "Wen" and "Zhi" in the aspect of aesthetic ideal,while Zhang Huaiguan obviously admires a magnificent beauty of “Wen” and “Zhi”.Due to the discussion of the two calligraphers,the basic theory of an aesthetic ideal,which emphasizes the importance of both “Wen” and “Zhi”,was built.Fourthly,along with the transformation of social structure and ideology during the Song dynasty,the theoretical concerns and the discussion range raised by literati focused more on the relationship between general rules of calligraphy and individual emotions.In the development of the inheritance and rupture,construction and differentiation of the thought of calligraphy,the theory of Wen Zhi in calligraphy has formed an abundant connotation.Su Shi and Huang Tingjian advocated "you didn’t pursue exquisite,so you got it" and pay attention to the natural expression of one’s emotion.Zhu Xi and Zhao Mengfu pay attention to the previous rules and thus,return to the "Wen".Under the influence of Wang Yangming’s theory,calligraphers in late Ming dynasty focus more on the expression of sentiment,the spiritual interest,the original trait,the nature,and fully emphasize the importance of “Zhi” on the theoretical level.Fifthly,the aesthetic ideal of calligraphy has intensely changed with the arising of the epigraphic calligraphy campaign in the Qing dynasty,which led to the birth of a new structure of calligraphy.With the impact of Bei and Tie,the new theoretical connotation of the theory of Wen Zhi was created,in which simplicity and accidental spiritual interest was more considered than charismatic and general rules.In a word,analyzing and researching the theory of Wen Zhi in a historical dimension,this paper not only helps to clarify the historical context of the development of the theory of Wen Zhi in calligraphy,but also provides a theoretical reference and interpretation for the research on the development of calligraphy to a certain extent.