The Study Of Sun Guoting’s Calligraphy Theory:Tonghui

Shupu wrote by Sun Guoting has a pivotal position in Chinese calligraphy history. The calligraphy criticism appeared, since Calligraphy turned into a special art in the Eastern Han Dynasty. But these early calligraphy criticisms are mostly empirical comprehension of individual, or comments of certain calligraphy. Though the first peak of Calligraphy creation emerged in Wei-Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties periods, a comprehensive theory summary for the whole calligraphy art was still lacked. As an important achievement of calligraphy criticisms in Early Tang Dynasty, ShuPu wrote by Sun Guoting summarized previous theories, and put forward many incisive viewpoints at the same time. It opened up a new situation of the calligraphy criticisms in Tang Dynasty.When we investigate viewpoints of ShuPu, we will find that they are organized and elucidated by the word Tonghui. It can be said that Tonghui is the core of the whole passage. Sun Guoting abandoned mystical interpretation of predecessors, and promoted the calligraphy creation experience to the theory by tracing origins of calligraphy, distinguishing different calligraphies, appreciating famous calligraphy, representing skills, warning learners of calligraphy and dying to bosom friends. And then he established Tonghui to be the ideal of calligraphy creation and appreciation. However neutralization included in the word Tonghui, not only made calligraphy theory since Han dynasty systematic, but also connected calligraphy and the traditional philosophy. By this way, it intensified germinal ability of calligraphy theory, and constructed viewpoints on calligraphy history, emotion, creation and appreciation which is focused on neutralization, and provides a solid theoretical foundation for calligraphiy development.This paper focuses on the core of Shupu, Tonghui. In the first part, I intend to explain meanings of Tonghui by the close contact of ancient and modern, different calligraphies, mind and hands, calligraphy and life; In the second part, probe into the culture bases of Tonghui by the traditional philosophy foundation of China, and the demand of achieving human freedom.In this part, I also illustrate historical conditions which brought about Tonghui from three aspects:the development of calligraphic art, advocating Wang Xizhi in the Tang Dynasty calligraphy style, social value orientation of the Tang Dynasty; In the third part, I sum up history and reality significances of Shupu from two perspectives:theory and art practice.Carding viewpoints of Shupu, can not only provide a much closer framework to understand the relatively loose structure of Sun Guoting’s theoretical system, and it also helps us to clarify how "neutralization" of traditional culture came into the calligraphy theory field, gradually matured, and became an important aspect in the development of calligraphy theories. In addition, after entering the modern society, with the hard writing instead of writing brush, the calligraphy art has been completely separated from practical field, and becomes a special art juxtaposed with painting. In such a case, the study of Sun Guoting’s calligraphy theories can also helps to find a sally port for the development of calligraphy.