Heart Testimonials

The heart-hand relationship theory holds a special position among ancient theories of calligraphy.It is commonly used by ancient calligraphers to expound their views on calligraphy theories when they summarized the understanding within the practice.This paper holds the view that the heart-hand relationship is essentially the cooperation between the heart and hand which is based on the cognition of subject's idea in the relation between subject and object and form within the practice.The relationship consists of vertical and horizontal lines.They are gradually established in the progress of subject's pursuit of aesthetic ideal.Also,they are part of the psychological state that subject feels in creative practice.The heart-hand relationship reflects the pattern and tendency of the subject's thought activity.This paper studies the statements of heart-hand relationship in past theories of calligraphy in chronological order.This paper aims to explore the ideological connotations and performances of the heart-hand relationship by its formation and development.This paper is divided into four chapters.Chapter One mainly discusses the formation of heart-hand relationship and the factors which influence the development of it.It is suggested that the vertical relationship uses “write after having idea”as practical principles and reinforces the relationship between heart and hand by "rules and laws".It also describes the natural essence in the horizontal relationship between heart and hand and realization way of "forget both heart and hand(form unconscious habits)".Chapter Two mainly describes the aim of “aesthetic creates freedom"which pursued by theories of heart-hand relationship,and it is actually the transformation from the vertical part to the horizontal part.The key of this transformation is to broke the "rules and laws".Chapter Three mainly discusses the oppositions and transformations between the vertical and the horizontal parts of the heart-hand relationship in practice,which manifests as the oppositions and transformations of "ability and nature " and "strangeness and proficiency".It also describes that the key of realizing the horizontal heart-hand relationship is how to use "idea" by heart and how to use "power" by hand.Chapter Four reveals the essential of heart-hand relationship from the viewpoint of artist,which comes from the subject's cognition of the relation between subject and object during the practice of creation.