Study On The Highly Cursive Script Of Tang Dynasty

Through over twenty year's "fervor of calligraphy ",many chirography haverealized historic development. However, except some specific excellent calligraphists,contemporary cursive script creation is not very satisfactory. Through deep andoverall probe into highly cursive script in Tang Dynasty, this thesis attempts todiscover the inherent reason and artistic characteristics of it, which is the period ofgreat prosperity in cursive script's development, with the hope to provide someenlightenments to contemporary calligraphy creation.Chinese Calligraphy is the core of the Chinese culture's core, and the art of art,among which the highly cursive script can most represent Chinese art's spirit. Amongthe cursive script the highly cursive hand is the most freehand. The highly cursivehand in Tang Dynasty is the summit of the Chinese calligraphy history. Deep probeinto Tang Dynasty will make us profoundly master the Chinese art's spirit.Previous Domestic and foreign research on cursive script in Tang Dynasty aremostly individual case research. (such as analysis, textual criticism and comment onZhang Xu and Huai Su`s brushworks) Up till now, there is still no whole and deepresearch on Tang Dynasty. Mr. Tang Lan, Qi Gong, and Qiu Xigui have touched uponit before, but they have merely dwelt on cursive script and highly cursive hand, takingwhich as a small proportion in the whole development of calligraphy history. What'smore, with the development of contemporary archaeology and science, some of theiropinions also become dubitable. This thesis attempts to make a deep analysis on thehighly cursive script in Tang Dynasty from the aspect of its forming reason, artisticcharacteristics, historic value and contemporary enlightenment.The forming reason of highly cursive script in Tang Dynasty consists thefollowing aspects: chirography involvement, affection of social civilizationenvironment and calligraphist's creation.Highly cursive script comes into being with the prosperity of Han dynasty.Modern highly cursive script has appeared in the era Zhang Zhi lived in. The current hcursive hand brick unearthed in Cao Cao`s grave explains the possibility of ZhangZhi`s creation of current cursive hand. Some dissertations in the old books can alsoverify it. Wang Xizhi is an important calligraphist who made the highly cursive handstandard and beautiful. However, Wang Xizhi`s main contribution is regular script,running hand and slightly cursive script. Wang Xizhi`s calligraphy is more close tohighly cursive script. He brought out the art creed of creating with one's own style.The originality core of Wang Xianzhi`s calligraphy is on his technique of writing,which is Outside-stretch. He brought this technique of writing into full play.WangXizhi`s typical style mode is a kind of new cursive script.After Wang Xianzhi,Wang Ci in Nan dynasty Qi is the calligraphist with his own creation in cursive script.But he is neglected by those who discussed the cursive script. Then how the Wang Xizhi`s cursive script developed into highly cursive hand inTang Dynasty? The key is writing itself, that is to say it is caused by technique ofwriting. Technique of writing is closely related to writing gesture and writing furniture.Before the Sixteen Nation, there being not table and chair, people then always wrotewith left hand taking the bamboo slip, with right hand taking the brush and with handhanging . Consequently writing can mainly be dealt with the side-tip style. DuringTang dynasty and Wudai period, table and chair matched perfectly. While writing,people spread out paper on the table, made body slightly bend forward, made theangle between the brush and paper approximate to be a right one. So writing styleconverted from the side-tip style into the central-tip one. Central-tip is the mostimportant technique of writing of cursive script. Affection of social civilization environment behaves the following: loose societyatmosphere, high emphasis of the dynasty government, popularity of the Buddhismand the conversion of aesthetics. Calligraphists` creation can be seen from the comparison of Zhang Xu`s highlycursive hand and two Wang`s cursive script, and from Huai Su`s and Zhang Xu`shighly cursive hand. Highly cursive hand in Tang Dynasty is characterized that it is morearchitecture-oriented than music-oriented. This thesis attempts to make a deep...